


Self Checkout

by E_C_C_E_N_TRIC



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Aromantic Asexual Pidge | Katie Holt, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Boy x boy, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Fluff and Angst, Gay, Gay Keith (Voltron), I Blame Tumblr, I Don't Even Know, I Will Go Down With This Ship, M/M, Movie Checkout au, Mutual Pining, My First Work in This Fandom, Orphan Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Roommates, Sassy Pidge | Katie Holt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-20
Updated: 2017-07-25
Packaged: 2018-10-21 10:57:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 34,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10683876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/E_C_C_E_N_TRIC/pseuds/E_C_C_E_N_TRIC
Summary: "I’m going to beat the ever-loving shit out of the punk who thinks they need to check out a damn DVD for 37 days, 14 hours and approximately six seconds. Who takes that long to watch a single fucking movie? Tell me, Sharon. Who?”“Apparently, Keith Kogane,” She answered, adjusting her spectacles as she recited the words on the screen.“Keith who?” Lance asked, zapped back to reality and already feeling buckets of frustration and rage pour over the name. “He sounds like one of those snobby rich kids who think they’re better than everyone else. I hate him already.”





	1. A New Hope

“Kid, if you don’t lower your voice, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” Mrs. Gibson’s eyes flitted about nervously, unwilling to meet Lance’s gaze. The teen, however, was practically flaming with determination. He wasn’t walking out of this library without getting some answers first.

“Where. Is. It.” He demanded, making the employee squirm under his cold glare. Numerous pairs of eyes were now glued to the scene he was causing, but Lance was fine with the attention. In fact, the more who witnessed this, the better. “Sharon,” Lance said in a steady, nearly threatening tone, “Where is the Star Wars DVD you promised me last month?”

Mrs. Gibson looked up at the lanky boy earnestly. “It hasn’t been returned yet, Lance. I told you this yesterday. And the day before that. And-”

“The day before that,” Lance finished with an impatient wave of his hand, “Yeah, I get that. Are you sure you guys didn’t just lose it? Or maybe-” Lance shot the young women a suspicious glance, “You’ve been holding it hostage?”

Mrs. Gibson sighed, looking apologetically at the other customers in the library. “Lance, we can’t keep doing this. I understand you’re a broke college kid who just wants to sit down and enjoy a really enticing movie. But the only copy we have right now is still checked out. I’m sorry, Lance. I’ve offered to give you a call when the customer returns it-”

“Oh, no no no no no. I will see to it personally that the asshole himself is present when he returns my movie. I’m going to beat the ever-loving shit out of the punk who thinks they need to check out a damn DVD for 37 days, 14 hours and approximately six seconds. Who takes that long to watch a single fucking movie? Tell me, Sharon. Who?”

The librarian rolled her eyes before focusing them on her computer screen. From the reflection of her glasses, Lance figured she was checking the computer’s history. Lance had to admit; Sharon was gorgeous. With curly, sand colored hair and eyes the shade of the ocean during the rising sun, she fit his criteria just finely. Especially when she wore skinny jeans and knitted sweaters. She looked like every independent single woman living on her own. Except . . . she was married.

Lance had tried to ask her about her husband, but every time the topic came up, she just glared at him.

“Apparently, Keith Kogane,” She answered, adjusting her spectacles as she recited the words on the screen.

“Keith who?” Lance asked, zapped back to reality and already feeling buckets of frustration and rage pour over the name. “He sounds like one of those snobby rich kids who think they’re better than everyone else. I hate him already.”

Mrs. Gibson shrugged blatantly, a placid expression resting on her features. “Like I said, there’s nothing we can do for you until this Keith guy returns it.” Feigned revelation became obvious in her features. “Oh, wait - I have an idea! Why don’t you get a job, so you can actually afford to rent it from a video store?”

Lance slowly allowed an eyebrow to creep up his forehead. “Was that sarcasm?”

Sharon smiled dryly. “Of course it was, Lance. Now get out of the library before I’m forced to drag you away. You’ve been causing a scene-”

Just then, a young man came stumbling through the front doors, seemingly in a hurry. With the obnoxious jingle signaling his arrival, the loud _crash _of his backpack as it hit the floor, his possessions scattering over the carpet, and the “Shit,” he muttered under his breath, his entrance didn’t go unnoticed.__

__In fact, he had grabbed the attention of just about everyone in the library._ _

__“And you thought _I _was causing a scene,” Lance muttered under his breath, earning a glare from Mrs. Gibson, who was quick to leave her station, hurrying to help the young man pick up his things now littered about.___ _

____Lance huffed and rolled his eyes, but followed her anyway._ _ _ _

____Ignoring the awkward stares, Lance strode over to the other boy, noting that he was probably in his late teens, early twenties – around his age. He wore a red scarf tied about his neck, and had small snowflakes lingering in his jet-black hair, implying that the weather was acting up again._ _ _ _

_____Great, I’m going to have to drive home in the snow . . . _Lance’s thoughts faltered as the other boy glanced up at him from his position on the floor.__ _ _ _ _

______He had been gathering up his belongings (black t-shirts, a pair of ripped jeans and Marvel comics???), and was just sliding the new edition of _Spider-Man _in his bag when their eyes met, and the world seemed to falter.___ _ _ _ _ _

________. . . The darkest shade of Prussian Blue._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Never before had Lance seen such a captivating pair of eyes. They put Mrs. Gibson’s ocean irises to shame. Sure, in her eyes, he could she waves upon waves of water, stretching miles across the open sea. But these eyes? These were eyes filled with undiscovered territories. They were the deepest waters, flooding with unseen expanses, just daring to be explored. It was an entirely new world, taunting Lance from only a foot away, and he wanted - no, he _needed _\- to tackle this adventure that had just so magically presented itself.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Whoa . . .” was all he was able to muster._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He wondered how many hidden secrets were stashed away in those eyes of his, and Lance made it his personal goal to discover every single one._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________However, before he could deliver his famous line - the line that caused crowds of women to swoon and blush - he noticed something the other boy had focused his attention on. A DVD that had fallen out of his backpack._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________A Star Wars DVD. A New Hope, to be exact._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Any attraction Lance had felt for the young man before him suddenly vanished._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“ _You’re _the bastard who rented my movie for over a month?!” Lance shrieked. “What the hell, man?!”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________The other boy (Now known to be Keith), flinched at the sudden anger and ferocity in Lance’s tone._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“I-I’m sorry,” He stammered, eyes shifting to his right, “I’ve been out of town. I got here as fast as I could.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Lance jutted his lower lip out in a slight pout, folding his arms and leaning over Keith intimidatingly. “As fast as you could, huh? And that just so happens to take about 40 days?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Lance’s goal was, to some degree, harass the other boy until he begged for mercy, kissed his feet and handed over the DVD. However, quite the opposite occurred._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Keith’s painfully gorgeous eyes narrowed with sudden hatred. “I said I was _out of town_. It wasn’t even me who checked out the shitty movie in the first place. God, calm your inflamed tits, moron.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________The tall boy gasped. There were many insults Lance McClain was able to endure. He could put up with people degrading his looks (because he knew they were all just jealous of how beautiful he was). He could handle having people lash out at his ‘horrible’ attempts at flirting (because he knew they just wished they were as smooth as him). He was capable of tossing aside the rude comments thrown his way and the glares he received from certain people._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________However, as soon as someone bitches about one of his beloved fandoms, Lance makes his personal goal to unleash absolute hell on the fucker who dares spit out such an insult._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Did you just call Star Wars _shitty?!_.” He squeaked, feeling his cheeks flare an unmistakable shade of crimson._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Those _goddamned_ perfect irises locked on his, and Lance tried his best to fix his most aggravated glare on the other boy. Yet it seemed nearly impossible to look angry when he was staring down adorably rosy cheeks from the frigid air outside, melting snowflakes in a nest of the darkest black Lance had ever laid eyes on, and the most dazzling eyes to ever come into existence._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________A dark eyebrow cocked upward. “Excuse me?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“You heard me,” Lance said, shaking his mind free from the other boy’s beauty. He couldn’t allow himself to get distracted by another pretty face. This bitch took his DVD. “You just insulted my movie, you dick.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Keith huffed, seemingly irritated. “It’s not your movie, you asshat, it belongs to the library!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“BOYS!” Mrs. Gibson interrupted, “Please, take it outside. You’ve caused enough trouble already.” Turning to the tall Cuban, Sharon continued, eyes narrowed in a fit of rage. “Lance, I’ll check out the DVD for you as soon as I’m done returning it for Keith. Wait outside.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________With such a commanding voice and intimidating eyes, Sharon looked about ready to set Lance’s internal organs aflame if he didn’t leave the premises within the next 2 milliseconds. Taking more than one of the hints Mrs. Gibson had dropped for him, Lance nodded with a small huff._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Fine.” Then, turning to Keith, he snapped, “I’ll see you outside, pretty boy.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Marching out the library doors, Lance ignored the staring faces from all angles as he stomped his way across freshly fallen snow. The reality of the situation didn’t sink in until he saw those deep, Prussian Blue eyes fixated on his not a minute later._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Taking a deep breath, Lance composed himself enough to let the guilt sink in._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Yes, he had acted immature._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Yes, that was a common thing for him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Yes, he stepped out of line._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________No, he didn’t mean to._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________However, as Lance was opening his mouth to splutter out an apology, his jaw was met by the gloved fist of Keith Kogane._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	2. A Bloody Nose

Thick, red liquid started slipping down Lance’s chin, splattering on the concrete ground beneath him. It was difficult for him to process what exactly had happened, but the pain in his nose and the blood dripping into his mouth was proof enough. 

Keith just punched him. 

And gave him a bloody nose. 

Reeling back in surprise, Lance had just flung his hand up to his nose when Keith’s eyes widened with realization. 

“Holy shit . . .” the raven-haired boy muttered, taking a small step toward the Cuban, “I’m so sorry- I . . . I didn’t meant to- I have . . . ugh, I’m sorry. Oh God, are you okay? I just- I got so angry-”  
Lance cut off the boy with a small, light hearted laugh. 

Keith’s eyes grew even wider, beautifully displaying the hidden waters within. 

“Wh- you’re . . . laughing? Are you okay?” The young man questioned, concern flooding his ocean irises. 

Lance nodded, hand still covering his bleeding nose, as well as the blush forming on his cheeks. Damn this kid knew how to throw a punch. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Lance managed, “Just . . . that hurt like hell.”

Keith cringed. “I’m really sorry-”

Lance waved a frantic hand, as if to shoo away the other boy’s concern. “No no it’s all good, really. You’ve got a mean arm, by the way. Ever thought of taking up martial arts?” Lance laughed at himself, hoping that if he babbled on long enough, he would be able to hide his embarrassment with his wits. 

Silence fell over the two of them, Keith’s eyes still shining with concern. After a moment of extreme awkwardness and an unbelievable amount of blushing on Lance’s part, Keith spoke up again. 

“Are you sure you’re okay? I feel really bad . . . Is there any way I can make it up to you?”

Lance’s chest felt a lot warmer than it should have. His mind was saying one thing, but his heart was screaming another. 

Before he had the chance to embarrass himself even farther, Lance was saved when Mrs. Gibson came walking outside, the Star Wars DVD clutched to her chest as snow fell lightly around them. 

She didn’t look surprised when she saw the blood dripping from Lance’s nose. In fact, she didn’t even comment on it. Rather, she handed over the DVD. “Here. Just take it, okay? I already checked it out for you, so you’re good to go. It’s due back in a week.” Turning to leave, she placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder. “And, I know this is really rude of me, but I’m just doing my job. You owe us seven dollars and 50 cents. It technically was overdue . . . by 30 days.”

“Right,” Keith sighed, fishing around in his pockets for any loose cash. 

The $10 bill in Lance’s wallet seemed to grow heavier by the second. 

He had his DVD. 

There was no reason to throw another bitch fit. 

Keith WAS really cute . . . 

Sighing a bit louder than intended, Lance pulled out his wallet, snapping out the $10 bill and handing it to Sharon. 

“Here. Keep the change.” He said softly. 

Then, after sending Keith a small smile, Lance turned to find his family’s van in the parking lot, hoping there were tissues in the glove box so he could clean up some of the dried blood that was left on his lips. 

Before he made it ten steps, there was a slight tug on his jacket.

Craning his neck to see who it was, Lance felt his face heat up a bit as the ocean stared up at him through Keith’s eyes. 

He looked so innocent now . . . as if he hadn’t just put through Lance an entire month of agony and torment by not returning that damned DVD. 

Cursing his bisexual emotions, Lance huffed. “What?”

Keith’s hand fell away from Lance’s jacket a bit hesitantly. 

“You didn’t have to do that,” He said quietly.

Lance shrugged. “I just want to go home and watch this movie. I’ve been waiting 37 days for it, you know. Some idiot didn’t return it.” The words were meant to be hurtful, but Lance noted the humor in his own voice after he had spoken. 

A shy smile formed on Keith’s lips, and once again, the world seemed to falter. 

“Yeah, sorry about that-”

“You know,” Lance interrupted, “You keep apologizing. I know you’re sorry. You don’t have to repeat it until my ears bleed.”

Keith looked as if he were about to apologize again, but after receiving a warning look from Lance, he closed his mouth. 

In the next two seconds, Lance had three ridiculous ideas.

Kiss the damned fool in front of him.

Make fun of the obvious mullet the kid had.

Get him to go on a date with him as payback for punching him in the fucking nose.

Realizing that all three options seemed irrational or unlikely, Lance went with a fourth, undecided idea.

“So, how many times did you get to watch this movie in the course of 37 days, my friend? 5? 18? Because if it’s any less than three, I’m sorely disappointed.” 

There was a small, gorgeous laugh that emitted from Keith, and Lance knew right then and there that he wanted to hear that laugh every day, for as long as he lived. 

Then Keith answered the question, and strike two hit Lance like a bag of bricks.

“I’ve never seen it.”

Lance nearly dropped the DVD, as well as any respect he had for this beautiful stranger.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Lance breathed, highly offended. 

Keith raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with me? I’m not the one who camped out in a library for a month just so I could get my hands on some grubby old-”

“Ack- no. I’m stopping you right there. If you’ve never seen it, you can’t complain about it.” Lance paused for a minute, another question rising to the tip of his tongue. “Alright, so you said you were out of town. That explains the clothes that were in your backpack. And you said you didn’t even rent it in the first place . . . so who did?”

Keith sighed, obviously not wanting to go into details. 

“Just one of my friends. Their really into this kinda stuff, and now I know I should probably take my library card with me everywhere I go because they’re a sneaky little bastard who steals my stuff all the time. It’s not the first time it’s happened, and I’m pretty sure it won’t be the last. Pidge is consistent, I’ll tell you that much.”

Lance let out a breathy laugh, feeling another snowflake land on his nose. “So your friend stole your library card to watch Star Wars while you were out of town? And they never returned it?”

“Yup,” Keith said solemnly. 

“I don’t know this person, but I like them already.”

Keith looked up at Lance quizzically. “Why’s that?”

“Because if they never stole your card, I never would have met you. And, seeing as how you’ve never actually watched the movie, this is what I propose: You come to my house tomorrow night. I’ll pop popcorn and buy some junk food. We’ll sit by the TV and enjoy a . . . what was it you said? ‘Shitty’ movie?” Lance smirked, “Then you can make fun of it all you want, because you’ll have seen the whole thing.”

Keith’s mouth dropped open in shock. “Wha-”

“Oh, c’mon, it’s the least you could do. You gave me a bloody nose, for Christ’s sake! It’s just a grubby old movie, right?”

Keith’s lower lip stuck out in a slight pout. 

Lance’s heart thumped with nervousness. 

_Is he going to decline?_

_Shit, why is he being so quiet?_

_Fuck, he’s probably straight._

_Ugh, I fucked up, I fu-_

“Fine,” Keith said suddenly, breaking Lance out of his thoughts. “But only if you buy Milk Duds and wipe off all that blood.”

A massive grin spread over Lance’s face, causing his nose to thump in pain. “Deal. Here’s my number, pretty boy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2! Hope you guys enjoyed X)


	3. Heading Home

“Oh my God. Hunk. You will NOT believe what just happened to me!” Lance babbled on enthusiastically, phone raised to his right ear. He hadn’t wasted any time calling his best friend to tell him all about the encounter he had with the young man at the library. In fact, he was still behind the wheel of his mother’s van, frantically wiping away the crusted blood on his chin as he spoke into the phone. Currently hovering at a red light, Lance couldn’t hide the smile forming on his lips as his mind rewinded a few minutes to listen to Keith’s laugh one more time. 

“What happened? Are you okay? Did something happen? Are you hurt?” Hunk’s worried voice came over the phone, and Lance forced a laugh out of himself. 

“No no, I’m fine. All is well. In fact, all is VERY well. This mother fucker just got himself a date, Hunk! An. Actual. Date. With an actual human being!”

There was an audible gasp, then, Hunk teased, “How much did you have to pay them?”

“Ha. Ha. You’re hilarious.” Lance paused, suddenly reminded of the $10 he handed over to Sharon to pay for Keith’s overdue DVD. “10 dollars,” He said, defeated. 

Hunk burst into laughter, causing Lance to move the phone away from his ear. He didn’t want to go deaf at such a young age. 

The light turned green, and Lance looked both ways before continuing down the street. Even though he could be reckless and stupid sometimes (okay, a lot of the time), he at least had the audacity to drive like a civilized person. Besides, who knew when some crazy drunkard could come speeding through a red light and crash right into him? Nope, not taking chances. 

“I didn’t pay him, though. I paid the librarian. It was to help him pay for the overdue Star Wars DVD.”

There was a pause. 

“Wait wait wait. You’re going on a date with the punk whom you’ve been LOATHING for over a month because he wouldn’t return the movie we wanted to watch? Lance . . . I feel betrayed.”

“Relax, Hunk. He’s actually a pretty chill guy. And besides, he didn’t even rent it in the first place. It was some idiot friend of his who didn’t even tell him about it. He’s been out of town all month. And God, you should see his eyes-”

“You’re so gay,” Hunk said with a laugh.

“Bi,” Lance corrected, “I’m so bi. And yes, I’m aware of that, and I’m proud of that.” Slowing down to stop at a yield sign to let a couple kids cross the street, Lance smiled at them, then continued. “So he’s coming over to the apartment tomorrow night. Am I okay to kick you out?”

Hunk fell silent. Lance assumed he was checking his mental calendar. After a few more seconds, Hunk said, “Yeah, that’ll work. I was going to head over to Shay’s anyway. She wanted my opinion on some of her latest photos. You’ll have the place to yourself.”

“Sweet Hunk, you’re the best! I’m on my way back now, so I’ll see you soon, buddy.”

“Later, Lance.”

Hanging up the phone and tossing it in the empty passenger seat, Lance smiled to himself. 

Tomorrow was going to be great. They would have the whole apartment to themselves. Lance would pop popcorn, buy those Milk Duds Keith wanted - _Ah, he likes Milk Duds. That’s so cute!_ \- and some other snacks. Maybe even a glass of wine? Or was that too much? Did Keith even drink? 

Lance came up with multiple scenarios in his mind. 

They’d curl up on the small, comfortable couch, sharing popcorn from the designated movie bowl, eyes glued to the screen. He’d purposefully turn the temperature down a little, so he could offer Keith a blanket, and maybe some cuddles, too. They’d laugh at all the cheesy movie effects, but become entranced with the story being told. Lance hoped Keith would like Star Wars. He still couldn’t believe he had never seen it before. 

_What kind of person has never seen Star Wars?_ Lance thought to himself. _Apparently really attractive people with extremely good punching arms . . ._

Lance’s thoughts were interrupted when his phone buzzed in the seat next to him. Glancing at it for a quick second, he saw it was from an unknown number. 

Heart leaping at the possibility of it being Keith, Lance had to force his eyes back onto the road. 

He’d check his phone when he got back to the apartment. 

A few minutes later, and he was pulling into the small parking area for cars. Setting the van in PARK, Lance made sure to turn off the AC and the radio before taking out the keys. Then, unbuckling and grabbing his phone, he checked the text.

**Unknown Number: Hey. Umm . . . it’s me. Keith.**

Lance’s face cracked into a wicked grin before he responded properly. 

**HornyLilCuban: Keith as in totally-gave-me-a-bloody-nose-and-made-me-pay-for-his-movie Keith?**

Sliding out of the driver’s seat and making his way across the parking lot, Lance allowed a small bounce to form in his steps. Glancing down when his phone vibrated once more, he read the text on the screen.

**Unknown Number: Okay, first of all, I already apologized for that. And second, you WILLINGLY paid. I didn’t make you do anything.**

Lance playfully rolled his eyes, even while knowing Keith couldn’t see his face. 

**HornyLilCuban: Alright fine, I’ll give you that.**

**HornyLilCuban: So what should I put in for your name?**

**Unknown Number: . . . Keith?**

**HornyLilCuban: BOOORING!**

**HornyLilCuban: How about ‘SaltyPieceOfShit’**

**Unknown Number: Maybe texting you was a mistake.**

**HornyLilCuban: Or ‘37dayer’**

**HornyLilCuban: Cuz, you know, it takes you that long to watch a SINGLE. FUCKING. MOVIE.**

**Unknown Number: Bye.**

**HornyLilCuban: Aww c’mon, baby. You love me. Don’t goooooooooo**

**HornyLilCuban: Keith?**

Lance chuckled to himself, shaking his head slightly as he entered his apartment. Almost immediately, Hunk came flinging across the floor to greet his roommate with a spine-breaking hug.

“Lance!” Hunk shouted gleefully, “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever!”

Lance chuckled with the very little breath he had left in his lungs, returning the hug. 

“It’s been three hours,” Lance said, escaping Hunk’s bear hug, “No need to throw a fuss.”

“Yeah, but in that same amount of time- no, LESS, even, you were able to score a date! So . . . tell me about him!” Hunk grinned, plopping down on the chocolate covered couch expectantly, eyes enlarged in anticipation. “What’s his name? What’s he look like? What color are his eyes-”

“Alright alright, chill,” Lance said in between laughs, “Just chill.” Taking a seat next to his best friend, Lance started from the beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Chapter for you! Hope y'all enjoy X)


	4. Slight Panic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was lying in bed overthinking everything about this story last night, and now I actually know where I want it to go. I've got a set destination in mind, and I'm 87% sure that you're all going to love the journey we're going to take in order to get there. This story is going somewhere, and you're all gonna wanna be there.

Lance had felt his phone vibrate a couple times while he was telling the story to Hunk, but strategically ignored it for the time being.

It wasn’t until he was ready to read Hunk the texts him and Keith had been sending back and forth that he slid his phone out of his pocket, catching a glimpse of the messages he had received. 

**Unknown Number: You’re ridiculous, you know that?**

**Unknown Number: So . . . what time am I supposed to come over tomorrow?**

**Unknown Number: Also, I don’t know where you live???**

Reading the texts aloud to Hunk, he saw the excitement in his friend’s eyes light up.

“Whoa, he’s actually coming over?” Hunk asked in disbelief. 

“Well, yeah. He said he would,” Lance said, a bit offended. “Besides, he owes me for punching the everloving shit out of my nose earlier.”

“True.”

“Hang on, lemme text him back,” Lance said, typing away at his mobile keyboard.

**HornyLilCuban: Yeah, I know I’m ridiculous. It’s one of my MANY desirable qualities.**

**HornyLilCuban: And what time would work best for you? I’m free all day, so you can hop over whenever. I live in one of those Garrison college apartments, on the east side. Building number 2, room B12.**

**HornyLilCuban: There’ll be a rose on the door, just for you. Can’t miss it ;)**

“Wow Lance, you’re going all out, huh?” Hunk questioned, referring to the rose. 

Lance waved a hand dismissively. “I just want him to know that I forgive him for nearly breaking my nose and kidnapping A New Hope for so long. Wait.” Lance paused, suddenly overthinking things. “Is that too much? Oh God, what if he thinks that’s too cliche? Shit, he probably thinks I’m one of those creepy romantics who does everything over the top and tries too hard all the time. Fuck. What am I gonna do?” Lance jumped to his feet, beginning to pace around the room. He had abandoned his phone on the couch, not wanting to see the response from Keith in fear that it would lead to utter rejection. 

Running his hands through his dark hair, Lance paced back and forth in the apartment. “Hunk what do I do? I can’t just say ‘jk lolz’ and wave it off! Ugh now he knows I’m just a wanna be pla-”

“Lance. Relax,” Hunk said soothingly, giving his roommate a surprisingly reassuring smile. “You’ll do great, I promise. Just be yourself. You got him to laugh, right? So he thinks you’re funny. Keep it up. Make him laugh. Make him feel safe and at home. Make it comfortable, so he knows he’s welcome here and he’s free to come back whenever he wants. Just be normal.”

There was a long pause between the two of them. 

Then Lance’s phone vibrated. 

“UGH!” The lanky boy slammed his face into a nearby pillow, not wanting to see what Keith’s response was. Sighing into the cushion, he tried to relax his mind. Hunk was right. He had nothing to worry about . . . right? Just be normal. Play it cool. Make him feel welcome and at home. He could do that. Maybe.

“Keith just sent a bunch of keyboard smashes,” Hunk informed. 

That perked Lance right up. “Lemme see!” Snatching the phone out of Hunk’s hand, Lance scanned over the text. Sure enough, it was nothing but gibberish.

**Unknown Number: ASDRTYYGFDCVBNMKI**

Then, not even a second later:

**Unknown Number: A ROSE?! SERIOUSLY?!?!?!?!**

**Unknown Number: Oh God.**

**Unknown Number: . . . why?**

Lance panicked. 

Throwing the phone at Hunk, he squealed, “What should I say?! He wants to know why I’m buying him a FUCKING ROSE. HUNK, WHAT DO I SAY?!?! HELP!”

Hunk chuckled, apparently finding amusement in Lance’s torture. His roommate shrugged. “I dunno. Not my boyfriend - not my problem. Here.”

Hunk handed Lance the phone and began walking out of the main room. 

“HUNK!” Lance shrieked, “You can’t just leave me like this! And he’s NOT my boyfriend!” _Not yet . . ._ Lance thought, watching Hunk disappear around the corner. He sighed, looking down at his phone. 

“Just tell him it just seems like the right thing to do,” Hunk advised from down the hall, “Or that it’ll just help him find the room.”

“Ah, okay.” Lance smiled a bit, plopping back down on the couch. 

**HornyLilCuban: As a landmark? It’ll help you find the room a lot easier. And it just seems like the right thing to do, ya?**

Lance held his breath, waiting for Keith to text back. 

Finally, it came.

**Unknown Number: Oh. Alright. Yeah, that makes sense.**

_Fuck._

_Did I do something wrong? He seems upset. Shit, what did I do?_

“HUNK, HELP!” Lace hollered.  

There was an audible sigh coming from their shared bedroom, then Hunk appeared in the hallway. 

“Yes, Lance?” 

“I think I fucked up.” Lance admitted, showing him the text.

Hunk scanned over it, then shrugged. “Doesn’t seem like there’s anything wrong to me. That’s a natural response, isn’t it? That’s normal. Right?”

“I don’t know!” Lance panicked, raking through multiple replies he could send to the beautiful stranger while he stared at his phone screen. 

“Well,” Hunk said, “I’m gonna go cook some pasta. You want Marinara, or Alfredo?”

“Marinara, always,” Lance whispered, almost to himself. He was still trying to find a way out of the hole he seemed to be digging himself in. 

“Alright,” Hunk said, waltzing into the kitchen.

Lance, alone again, typed out a thoughtless response. 

**HornyLilCuban: Unless you want it to mean something more?**

A few minutes of painful silence passed over him before he got another message. In that time, Lance decided to finally put Keith’s name into his phone. 

**MyPieceOfSalt: No!**

**MyPieceOfSalt: I mean, yes?**

**MyPieceOfSalt: I don’t know. I’m not good at this kind of stuff.**

**MyPieceOfSalt: So . . . I’ll leave it to you.**

**MyPieceOfSalt: You decide. And whatever you decide on, I’ll agree. Deal?**

Lance found a small smile crawl onto his lips. Keith seemed to be a little flustered. Lance wondered how red his face was right now. Probably not as red as his, but still. Something to imagine. 

He thought back just a couple hours, to when he was looking Keith in the face. The melting snowflakes in his jet-black hair, and his rosey cheeks darkening from the chill in the air. Lance assumed he looked something like that now, but with less eye contact and more stuttering. 

Lance smiled at that mental image, hoping he’d get to see it in person tomorrow night. 

**HornyLilCuban: Alright then. I’ll decide :)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to check out my tumblr (there's really not much on it, sorry). But at least it's something :)  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/e-c-c-e-n-tric


	5. A Needed Embrace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys like this Chapter from Keith's POV :D

Keith was more than a little confused. 

Once he had made it back to ‘his’ apartment, he had called out to his roommate. Not a few seconds later, Shiro came around the corner, a smudge of ash grey paint on his left cheek, and a cheerful smile on his face. 

“Hey Keith,” he greeted, carefully stepping over an open paint can to get through the cramped hallway. “I was worried when you didn’t come back. Weren’t you supposed to return a week ago?” There was mild concern in his features, but he looked more mournful than worried. Keith knew why.

“Did you find her . . . ?” Shiro asked hesitantly. 

Every tear Keith had been holding in over the past month started to build up in his eyes as he shook his head.

“No,” he answered weakly, a single tear slipping down his cheek.

Shiro carefully wrapped his left arm around his roommate, pulling him into a silent embrace. 

There had always been something about Shiro’s hugs that tended to dissolve the worry and hatred from Keith’s thoughts. He hadn’t ever been sure why, especially since it had felt really awkward the first few times, considering the fact that Shiro was missing his entire right arm. 

Everytime he caught his roommate in an embrace, it felt as if he were only being held by half a person. His left side was completely straddled with care, while his other half was wild and free. Something about it just felt right. 

Taking in the scent of fresh paint, Keith slowly pulled away from Shiro and frustratingly wiped away his tears. 

“It’s fine,” Keith said decidedly, “I’ll be okay. Besides, I’ve made it this far without her, right?” Keith let out a sad laugh, earning a deeper look of concern from his friend. “Shiro, I’ll be fine. I’ve got you, don’t I?”

Anxiety and worry started to grow within Keith’s chest as he waited for Shiro to respond. After a couple more seconds of dreaded silence, Keith repeated the question. 

“I’ve got you . . . don’t I?”

Shiro nodded. “Y-yeah. Sorry, I just . . .” Shiro took a deep breath, wiping his one hand down his face as if to sweep away the exhaustion. “Yes. You’ve got me.”

Keith swallowed with a small nod. Tightening the backpack on his shoulder, Keith picked his way across the hallway, taking note of the strong scent of paint.

“So you finally got around to painting, huh?” He asked, taking a peek into their designated sleeping room. 

“Uh, yeah,” Shiro said, “I was so sick of those pink walls. They had to go.”

Keith chuckled, remembering the look on each other’s faces when they first laid eyes on the hot pink walls of their apartment. It had been a nightmare. Now, though, only one wall remained the hideous color, the other three being ash grey. 

“Looks good,” Keith said simply, making his way into the back room, where they kept more of their storage. “And you got the hag’s approval?”

Shiro’s laugh was heard from down the hall, and Keith smiled, missing the sound of it. 

“I did, actually.”

Shiro’s frame appeared in the doorway as Keith dumped his backpack onto the floor, rummaging through it to pick out his dirty clothes, comics and travel guides. 

“Haggar may be a god-awful landlord, but at least she understands basic male needs.”

“Which would be?” Keith quizzed, knowing the answers already as he rifled through his comics, splaying them out on the floor to place them in the correct order. 

“Food, sex, entertainment and boring colors.” Shiro recited. 

Keith added, without missing a beat, “With the occasional bottle of beer.”

“Damn right,” Shiro said. “Speaking of, I’ve got a couple more in the fridge. Interested?”

Keith was about ready to agree, before a thought (a seemingly random thought) occurred to him. Instead of answering his roommate’s question, Keith asked one himself.

“Do you think anyone would ever be interested in dating me?”

Shiro blinked, caught a little off guard.

Keith continued organizing his Spider-Man comics while he waited for an answer. After finishing with the comics, he began folding his dirty clothes, putting them in a separate pile. 

Shiro had taken a seat next to him on the carpeted floor, and was now giving him a quizzical look. 

“Why do you ask?”

Keith stopped folding a plain black t-shirt, setting it down on his lap as he wondered how he could get through this conversation while, at the same time, not mention anything about Lance. 

Shrugging, he went for the safest response. “I’m not sure. Just . . . something I’ve started to wonder. I mean, you’re happy with Allura, right?”

One of Shiro’s signature smiles crossed over his face. It was a rare, genuine smile that only a select few people had the opportunity to see, much less be the cause of. Keith considered himself extremely lucky to be on the receiving end of that smile more than once. 

“Yes, of course I’m happy with Allura.”

“And . . . do you think that maybe . . . someone could be happy with me?” Keith wondered, genuinely wanting to find the answer. 

“Of course,” Shiro said with no hesitation. “You just need to find them. And when you do, you need to let them in. Please, don’t rid yourself of happiness by keeping yourself apart from them simply because you don’t feel like you deserve to be happy. I know you’ve been through a lot. I know you’ve had to endure a lot of pain over the years, but you can’t let that get to you. You just have to find your light. And when you do . . . don’t blow it out.”

Keith stared down at the shirt on his lap, soaking in his roommate’s message. 

Shiro was always good at giving pep talks. 

It’s just that Keith wasn’t all that good at listening to them. 

“Alright,” Keith said. “Find my light. Don’t blow it out.”

“Don’t blow it out,” Shiro repeated. Then, after a few minutes of comfortable silence, he asked, “So who did you meet?”

Keith’s eyes widened as he swiveled around to face his roommate. “Wha-how-”

Shiro rolled his eyes. “Oh come on, I know I’m a little crippled, but I’m not blind. What’s his name?”

Keith groaned. 

Shiro had always known Keith was gay. He was accepting of this fact, and provided comfort and protection when no one else did. He was Keith’s safe haven. 

He was also embarrassing and annoying as hell. 

“Why should I tell you?” Keith questioned.

Shiro beamed. “Ah-HA! So you DID meet someone! Come on, spill! What’s his name? Did you meet him on your trip? Did you guys kiss?”

“Oh my God,” Keith muttered in unbelief, “How is it that I’ve been an orphan my entire goddamned life, and yet I still have a father nagging me about everything?”

Shiro opened his mouth to say something, but then Keith’s phone buzzed, the sound of a Sheikah slate being activated filling the room. 

Shiro’s eyed widened. “Is that him?”

Keith panicked. 

“No,” he squeaked. 

A nasty, devilish smirk found it’s way on Shiro’s lips. “It totally is. What did he say?”

Rolling his eyes, Keith tucked his face into the red scarf strewn about his neck, hoping it covered the blush that had undoubtedly formed on his cheeks. Carefully peeking over his scarf, he saw the text from Lance.

**Lance: I’m gonna go ahead and say the rose is meant to be more than just a landmark. It’s for you, Mr. 37dayer ;)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts on Shiro and his arm (or rather, lack thereof)? Sorry, I had to.  
> What do you think about Keith's POV? I'm going to bounce back and forth between the two. Allura will definitely make an appearance, along with Nyma, Pidge and Matt. Stay tuned! LOVE YOU ALL


	6. A Prostitute?

“Keith?” Shrio asked, sounding a little concerned. “Are you okay? What did he say?”

Keith’s eyes refused to peel away from his phone screen, the message staring him down like a panther ready to pounce. His heart was beating at an abnormally fast pace, and he worried the skin was going to melt off of his face. 

“ . . . Keith?” Shiro repeated.

Allowing the phone to slip from his hand, Keith crumpled over into a ball, smashing his face into his red, snow-speckled scarf as he let out a small groan. 

He heard shifting, and assumed Shiro was reading over the texts. Too paralyzed to move, Keith did nothing to stop his roommate from rummaging through his messages. 

After a few seconds, Shiro squealed. 

“Oh my God, KEITH! HE SENT A WINKY FACE!” Shiro’s strong hand gripped Keith’s arm and began shaking him back and forth with excitement. “HE SENT YOU A FUCKING WINKY FACE!!! AND HE’S BUYING YOU A ROSE?!”

Keith’s groans only became louder, and his face only grew redder. 

“Oh my God this is good!” Shiro exclaimed, sitting back down and halting his harassment. “This is good!”

“How the hell is this GOOD?!” Keith snapped, whipping back up into a sitting position. He was trying hard not to have a panic attack, and could already hear the beating of his own heart. 

What was happening? Was he having a stroke? 

“Oh my God, Shiro . . . I think I’m actually dying,” Keith said, genuinely concerned for his own health. 

Shiro laughed light heartedly, as if his roommate wasn’t seconds away from combusting. “No you’re not, you’re just smitten. When did you meet this guy?”

Keith sighed. “A couple hours ago?”

There was a pause. 

“WHAT?!” Shiro burst. “A couple HOURS ago? What the hell-? He could be a prostitute! Oh my God Keith you can’t just waltz around giving out your number to prostitutes-”

“Whoa whoa whoa,” Keith turned toward his roommate, attempting to silence him with a small gesture of his hand. “I thought you said this was a GOOD thing-”

“That was before I knew he was a fucking playboy,” Shiro said, eyes narrowed with sudden seriousness.

Keith had to stop himself from laughing. 

“Young man, this is serious,” Shiro said, “Why have you been talking to this stranger?”

“Shiro,” Keith breathed, “Calm your beloved tits, and let me explain.”

Launching into the story, Keith elaborated on his little adventure at the library. He told Shiro about the Star Wars DVD, and how Pidge neglected to tell him that they had ‘borrowed’ the boy’s library card and didn’t return the movie after watching it. He recounted the way Lance had stalked over to him while he was picking up his things in a hurry after humiliatingly tripping into the building. He told Shiro how he felt really intimidated by Lance at first, but after the guy insulted him, he fired a retort right back. Keith explained how angry he had been. Not just at Lance, but everything. 

He had been searching for his mother for years to no avail. When he finally got a lead on where she would be, he hopped on the first flight out to Orlando to search for her in person. For a month, he ransacked the streets of Florida, looking for anything that could lead him to her. Yet he found nothing. Then, while sulking on the flight home days after he was scheduled to depart, he got a notification for his overdue movie from the Library. Knowing he had never checked out the DVD, his frustration turned to Pidge, assuming (correctly) that they had checked it out without his knowing. Practically breaking into their house to find the movie, Keith had wasted no time rushing to the building to return it, while stumbling upon Lance. Keith described Lance as a completely ignorant nerd who had pretty much lived in the library all month demanding to get the DVD that Keith had in his possession. Shiro got a kick out of that, but the story became serious when Keith explained that he had punched Lance. 

“You did what?” Shiro asked disapprovingly. 

“Shiro, please. Stop playing the ‘dad’ card and listen.”

Keith continued speaking, telling his roommate how he had felt at the time. 

“I was frustrated. I had searched Orlando for days, and couldn’t find any trace of her. I spent a lot more money on that trip than I thought. Then I come home to find another price tag. I don’t have a job. I’ve been kicked out of the Garrison, and I’m living with you illegally in a college apartment, Shiro. I have so many things going against me, and when that punk started picking a fight, I blew a fuse. So . . . I punched him. I immediately regretted it, believe me. It was just that . . . in the heat of the moment, I didn’t know what else to do. I was sick of holding back all these emotions. I had to let them out.”

Keith looked down at his lap in shame, waiting for Shiro to reprimand him in any way, shape or form. Instead, he took Keith by surprise. 

“Did it feel good? Punching him, I mean.”

Keith found a small smile tickling the corners of his mouth. 

“Yeah,” He said honestly, “It felt pretty damn good.”

Shiro laughed, but only for a moment. “Well then it’s a good thing you’re going to make it up to him by going on a date.”

Keith glared. “It’s not a date.”

“Bullshit,” Shiro said, “He bought you a rose, Keith. He must’ve really enjoyed getting socked in the face, huh?”

Keith shook his head with a chuckle. “I guess.”

“So . . .” Shiro pressed, “Are you going to respond to him?”

Keith shrugged. “Yes?”

Shiro raised an eyebrow. “You don’t sound very certain.”

“Well, I hardly know him. You’re right, he could just be a prostitute.”

“Okay, so what do you know about him?”

Keith pondered that for a moment. “He likes Star Wars. A lot. He . . . is a smartass, and a flirt. He’s got really intense blue eyes, like at midday. Shit-eating grin. I think he was Spanish? Pretty tall, too. Lanky. Acts like he knows everything. Stereotypical fuck boy. Pretty face, cold heart. One of those guys.”

Shiro’s eyebrow raised up even farther on his forehead. 

“You’re stereotyping him. Come on, Keith. Give it a chance! Who knows, maybe you two will actually hit it off. And, if not, at least you’ll gain some experience in the dating field.”

“Thanks,” Keith said ungratefully. 

“You’re welcome,” Shiro beamed. 

Plucking his phone off the carpeted floor, Keith saw that he had a couple more messages from Lance.

**Lance: I’m sorry, was that too much?**

**Lance: Oh God. It was, wasn’t it?**

**Lance: Shit, I’m sorry.**

Keith quickly typed out a response. 

**Keith: No, you’re good. Sorry, I was catching up with my roommate. Haven’t seen him in over a month.**

**Keith: So if you’ve got a rose for me, what do I get for you?**

Shiro had stood up to finish painting the bedroom, and now Keith was sitting indian style in the hallway, watching Shiro’s one arm slide up and down the wall, holding a paint roller. Not a minute later, and he got another text. 

**Lance: You mean besides a bloody nose?**

**Keith: Sigh.**

**Keith: How many times are you going to bring that up?**

**Lance: As many times as it takes for you to kiss it better, Pretty Boy ;)**

“Oh God,” Keith muttered to himself, face blaring a new shade of red. “What have I gotten myself into?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooooo, how are you feeling about Keith's side of the story? Lemme know in the comments. Love you all :)


	7. Fairy Godmother

Keith slept fairly well that night, and when Shiro came to gently nudge him awake, Keith moaned and turned over, planting his face in the couch cushion. Yesterday had been hard on him, and he was in desperate need of sleep. 

However, Shiro persisted in shaking the boy’s shoulder. 

“Keith,” He said, “What time are you supposed to go on your date tonight?”

Keeping his eyelids  closed, Keith grabbed a nearby pillow and slammed it over his other ear, not wanting to be disturbed. 

He couldn’t hear Shiro’s gentle voice now, but eventually he grew louder. A little muffled from the pillows, Shiro was barely heard, but Keith was able to make out a few words in his sleepy morning daze. 

“-going to wear? - Allura - some suggestions - already past-”

Keith slowly but surely sat up to face his roommate with bed head and baggy eyes. 

“What the fuck do you want, Shiro?” He grumbled. 

Shiro sighed. “It’s almost 3 in the afternoon. I just got back from my classes, why are you still asleep?”

Keith’s eyes widened as he fixed them on the clock on the wall. It was a little blurry, considering he didn’t have any contacts in yet, but he could still make out the hour hand. 

_Shit,_ He thought, _I’ve really been asleep this whole time?!_

Shiro looked down at him with a little concern. “Are you doing alright? Usually I can’t get you to sleep for even a couple hours. You must be exhausted.”

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Keith stumbled off the couch and towards the small kitchen area. “Y-yeah . . . yeah I’m just tired. Had a long day yesterday.” Taking a seat on one of the barstools, Keith set his forehead down on the countertop, arms drooping down his sides as he took a deep breath. 

“Well, I can make some pancakes for you, if you’d like?” Shiro suggested, already reaching for a pan above them. “Blueberry?”

“God, please,” Keith managed, glad he had such a protective roommate. If it weren’t for Shiro, Keith probably wouldn’t eat a thing. 

“Alright. And milk, too?”

“M-hm.”

A few minutes passed in silence as Shiro whisked the batter and prepared the store bought blueberries for his groggy roommate. After a while, though, he asked Keith about Lance. 

“Do you know when you’re supposed to go over to his apartment?”

Keith shook his head. “We never decided on a time. He might have texted me, though. I’ll go check.”

As he was walking down the hallway and into the back room, Shrio called out to him. “Oh, I plugged your phone in after you passed out in the hallway. It’s by the front table.”

“Got it. Thanks,” Keith mumbled, turning around and heading to the table. Once he had his phone in his hand, he unplugged it from the outlet. Sure enough, there were some messages from Lance. 

**Lance: So we never really picked a time. What’ll work for you?**

**Lance: Keith?**

**Lance: Buddy???**

Keith slid back onto the barstool and responded to him. 

**Keith: Sorry, I just woke up. You said you were free all day, right? How about 7:00?**

"Blueberry pancakes for the gentleman with no pants,” Shiro said, sliding a plate over with a glass of milk, then ruffling Keith’s hair with his one hand. 

Keith smiled tiredly. “Thanks, Shiro." 

Anything for my number 1 customer,” the older boy teased, wiping off his left hand. “Just make sure you get dressed for your date- which reminds me! Allura said she was willing to give some fashion advice. We’ve got enough time to stop by her building. You interested?” 

Eh,” Keith shrugged, taking a small bite of warm, delicious blueberry pancakes, “I was just going to wear some nice pants and a clean t-shirt. Maybe my leather jacket.” 

Shiro stared at him skeptically from across the counter. 

No you’re not,” He said decidedly. “We’re stopping by Allura’s. Finish your pancakes and put some pants on. We’ve got less than 4 hours to Bippity boppity boo you. I’ll be in the truck. Hurry.” 

Keith’s mouth hung open as he watched his roommate leave the apartment, keys in hand. He was left alone with his pancakes and boxers, lips parted in confusion. 

Then Shiro poked his head back into the apartment. 

"I’m not fucking around, Cinderella. Get your pretty little ass moving.” 

Then he was gone again. 

Turning back to his pancakes, Keith quickly took a few more bites, a swig of milk, then hurried down the hall to get to their shared closet. Pulling out a pair of tattered grey jeans, he slipped them on, threw on a belt and a plaid black and red button up shirt. As he grabbed his combat boots and flattened his hair down with a beanie, Keith stole a couple more bites of his pancakes before leaving the apartment and locking the door behind him. 

Sliding into the passenger seat, Keith started tying up his boots while Shiro pulled out of the parking lot. 

About 20 minutes later, and the two of them were parked in front of the _Royal Outfitters_ company building. Upon walking through the front doors, Keith mumbled under his breath, “You just _had_ to date the rich British girl who happens to own her own fashion company.” 

"Hey,” Shiro defended, “Allura is really nice, and I know she’ll be able to help you out with this more than I ever could.” 

"Alright, alright,” Keith held his hands up in defense, following Shiro into the building. 

The _Royal Outfitters_ was always elaborate and graceful, full of decorative vases with thriving bouquets, modern furniture and simple yet desirable colors that made the whole area flow with familiarity and comfort. Keith had always thought it was a bit much just for a clothing line, but once he saw the price tags on their products, he understood completely. 

You didn’t shop at _Royal Outfitters_ if you didn’t have a shit ton of money lying around in your piggy bank. 

Shiro waved enthusiastically at the women operating the front desk. She was currently on the phone, but waved them through with a smile, knowing the two young men by face. 

Shiro nodded his thanks, and the two of them stepped into the elevator, riding up to the third floor. 

There must have been a photoshoot going on, because when the elevator doors opened, flashes of light could be seen amongst the swarm of models, tables of food and cameramen. 

Keith shrunk further into the elevator, but Shiro lightly grabbed the sleeve of his shirt and tugged him into the room. 

“Allura!” Shrio called. 

At the sound of her name, the successful women perked up and looked in their direction. She looked a little stressed, but when her eyes met Shiro’s, Keith could’ve sworn her features softened, of just for a moment. 

"Shiro, I’m so sorry. I know you were planning on coming over, but the photoshoot is taking a lot longer than we planned.” Stretching up on her tip toes, Allura planted a small kiss on Shiro’s cheek. “We’ve only got a couple more shots to take, then I’ll be able to help you two out. While you’re waiting, have some snacks.” She smiled, gesturing to the tables of food. “We’ve got a veggie tray, some small sandwiches, glasses of lemon water and-” 

"Allura!” Someone called, “We need you over here!” 

Allura sighed, giving Keith and Shiro an apologetic look. “That’s my cue. I’ll kick them all out as soon as I can.” 

With that, she turned to leave. As Keith watched her maneuver her way through the cameramen, he caught a glimpse of Nyma, their number 1 model. With her long legs, blonde, manageable hair and gleaming eyes, she was exactly what the company needed to help sell their products. 

She was also a bitch, and Keith hated her. 

Caught glaring at her, Shiro chuckled a little. “Maybe if you glare hard enough you’ll be able to burn holes through her head." 

“Now there’s an idea,” Keith muttered, heading over to the tables to pick out a few olives from the veggie tray. Shiro did the same as they waited for the models and cameramen to file out of the room. Once they were all gone, Allura clapped, facing the two young men. 

"So, I hear you’re going on a date tonight,” She said, way too enthusiastically, “And you need help finding something to wear?” 

Keith rolled his eyes. “Yeah whatever, Fairy Godmother. Let’s get this over with.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any thoughts on what they're going to try and get Keith to wear on his date? Excited to see what they come up with?


	8. A Rose

Keith wasn’t ready for this. 

He wasn’t prepared to walk into Lance’s apartment. 

His mind hadn’t processed exactly what he was doing, even as he slid off the seat of his motorcycle and began striding toward building number 2. 

_B12,_ Keith reminded himself, _Room B12._

His heart was pounding furiously in his chest. His hands were starting to sweat with nervousness, and his eyes flitted about, looking at anything but the light blue college apartment building. 

Upon modeling the clothing Allura had picked out for him, Keith felt ridiculous. However, her hard work seemed to pay off. After taking a look at his new (and graciously given to him for free) clothes, Keith, for once in his life, actually felt a little confidant.

But that was two hours ago, before he was standing in front of Lance’s door, eyes glued to the red rose on the front door, as promised. That was before he realized he was about to enter uncharted territory, and be left alone with a stranger for God knows how long. That was before Lance had proposed they have _dinner_ together before sitting down to watch the movie. That was before he knew what he was getting himself into, before he heard the voices speaking on the other side of the door. 

“Hunk, have you seen my blue dress shirt?”

“Which one? You have like 5!”

“The one with the black buttons. Goes good with the pants I’m wearing. The ones that make my ass look amazing.”

“Oh! Yeah I ironed it a few minutes ago. It’s in the laundry room.”

“Thanks, buddy!”

Keith gulped, hands still resting at his sides, unwilling to knock on the door. His throat felt too dry, his hands too sweaty. He wondered who Hunk was (was that a nickname?) - probably his roommate. Maybe? Keith wasn’t sure. 

Taking a deep breath, Keith finally mustered up enough courage to graze his fingers across the rose. 

_This is for me . . ._

_A rose . . . just for me._

A soft smile formed on his lips, and he plucked the rose from the small, clear vase just a couple inches away from his new shoes. His smile grew wider. 

“Okay, I got the shirt,” Lance’s voice was heard from inside, “It’s almost 7, Hunk! HELP. I still don’t know what to do with the steak! Is it seasoned?”

“YES, I told you, I took care of the dinner. Calm down, you still have 10 minutes-”

“HE COULD BE HERE ANY SECOND.”

Keith clutched the rose tighter. 

Lance sounded panicked. 

Should he leave? He could just ride around the neighborhood for a few minutes, then come back. Besides, he could use some more wind in his face. As he was leaning down to put the rose back, he heard a loud gasp from inside. 

“HUNK. You can’t be here. You have to leave before he gets here, HURRY!”

Footsteps were heard, getting louder and louder as they appeared to get closer. Keith tensed, not prepared for the door to fling open, nearly knocking him to the ground. Luckily, he had picked up the vase, saving it from cracking open on the concrete below. 

A sizable young man came stumbling out of the apartment, apron tied about his waist and (was that gravy) a small stain on his right sleeve. 

His brown eyes widened as they found Keith’s, and the shorter boy took a few steps back. 

Fumbling over his words, he tried to stutter out an apology. “Oh God, I-I’m so sorry, I was just about to knock, I-”

“Keith?!” Lance appeared in the doorway, blue eyes wild as they took in the sight of Keith. “Shit,” He muttered.

Keith raised an eyebrow at his date. “Nice to see you, too?”

Lance’s cheeks fumed a bright red, and he scowled at his roommate as Hunk shot him a small smirk. Keith felt awkward and trapped until Hunk smiled at him. “I hope you guys have fun tonight. I’m headed over to Shay’s house to help her with some photography advice. The steak’s finished, and everything should be in place. Lance-” He turned to his slightly disheveled roommate, “-try not to burn the apartment down, okay?”

Lance’s lip jutted out in a pout. “I’m not _that_ irresponsible!”

Hunk just laughed, then turned to leave with a wave. “Have fun, you guys!”

Keith watched as the Hawaiian skipped across the parking lot to a grey van. When he finally peeled his gaze away, he turned to see Lance gawking at him with a slightly open mouth. 

Having been caught staring, the Cuban’s cheeks flared an even deeper red. 

“Y-you . . . wow. You look . . . amazing.”

“Just like your ass in those jeans?” Keith said before he could stop himself. 

_Oh my God, Keith. It hasn’t even been 30 seconds and you’ve already managed to let your big fat mouth fuck everything up. Way to go._

Lance laughed, seemingly a little embarrassed. Then, as if a sudden switch had flipped, he leaned in close, their noses inches apart as he said, “You heard that, huh? So . . . would you agree with me?”

The smirk on Lance’s face sent a shiver down Keith’s spine, but he just rolled his eyes. 

“Oh please. Like I’d ever be staring at _your_ ass.” Pushing through the front door, Keith let himself into the apartment, his overall attitude toward this whole ‘date idea’ completely changing. 

He just wanted to get this over with. He’d get some free food, enjoy a movie, and try as hard as he can to put up with the lanky little flirt. 

Then he’d go home and sleep. Never text this loser back. 

Besides, this was just an apology gift. 

Lance closed the door behind him. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting you to come early. Glad you got the rose, though. I’m just going to go grab my blazer, it’s a little chilly in here.”

“Alright,” Keith said, clutching the rose as his eyes followed Lance out of the room and-

_Damn, he wasn’t kidding,_ Keith cursed. 

His ass _did_ look really good in those pants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed Chapter 8!  
> Next one will be from Lance's POV again, so stay tuned :)


	9. Family?

When Lance had seen Keith for the second time, he had to remind his brain how to make his mouth work. Those captivating eyes had been widened in curiosity as they had watched Hunk leave the apartment, but that wasn’t the only thing Keith had going for him. 

This guy had style, holy shit. 

Keith was wearing Lance’s favorite brand name, known as _Royal Outfitters._ Of course, he didn’t have nearly enough money to afford a single fucking sock from that place, but that didn’t stop him from scrolling through their website every now and then. The fact that the original building and _the designer herself_ were only 20 minutes away was what drove the boy insane. Lance had visited the building more than once, but was only allowed on the bottom two floors. While he was there he had tried on a bunch of clothes, but didn’t buy anything, afraid of receiving his bills a couple weeks later. 

Now Keith, the mother fucker himself, waltzed into his apartment, wearing his favorite brand, and looking way too damn good. 

It was basic. Casual, even. And it wasn’t fair how well Keith could pull it off. 

A simple red v-neck that fitted his torso extremely well, accenting every curve perfectly. An open black cotton blazer which sleeves he had rolled up to his elbows. Casual grey Oxford flats with a matching belt. And, oh God, those skinny jeans. 

He looked like a fucking male model who had just popped off the cover of _Royal Outfitters_ new edition. 

Lance felt completely under dressed. 

He had on a simple blue dress shirt (now with a dark grey blazer that he hadn’t worn in months), and tan pants (the only decent pants he had that were clean). The current catastrophic state of his and Hunk’s shared bedroom perfectly represented Lance’s feelings at the moment. 

But, not wanting to keep his date waiting any longer, Lance ran a hand through his hair, told himself he looked damn good, and even winked for good measure. He could do this. Right?

Taking a deep breath, Lance came out of his room, making sure to close the door behind him so Keith couldn’t see the mess. 

When he made it to the front room, he noticed Keith was staring at a picture Lance had put up on the wall. 

He smiled. 

“That’s my abuela,” He informed, “As well as the rest of my family. That’s Ramira and Anto, my niece and nephew. They’re ridiculous, I tell you. Always bouncing off the walls. Neo, my older brother. He’s really cool. He’s the one who’d sneak me into rated R movies when I was younger.” Lance chuckled at the memory. “My parents, here. They’re really stubborn and protective, but I love ‘em to death. My sister Sofia and her husband Mason. They’re the makers of the two crazies. And that’s my older sister Zoe, the one who taught me everything I know about soccer, and my younger sister Amalia. She’s kind of a bitch, but we put up with her.” Lance pointed out each individual as he told Keith who they all were, a smile plastered to his face the whole time.

Once he was finished, it was silent for a moment. 

Attempting to relieve the room of any tension or awkwardness, Lance asked, “What about you? How many siblings do you have?”

Keith visibly tensed. 

“It’s just me,” He said sadly, his eyes shimmering as they took in the photograph of Lance’s large family. 

Lance held his breath, letting it out with a reasonable question. “You mean you’re an only child?”

Keith’s jaw hardened even more. Lance wondered what could possibly be going through his head, but he kept silent, not wanting to say anything stupid to fuck this up even more than he already had. 

“I mean I’m the only one,” He said hesitantly. “It must be nice, though. Having so many people around who love you. You’re lucky.”

Letting the two of them bask in silence for a moment, Lance tried not to feel too awkward. 

Keith was all alone? An in, no other siblings? No brothers or sisters? Not even a mother or a father? 

Lance knew there were orphans out there. He had always wondered how they found their will to live. His was his family. Had he not been so close to all of them, he doubted he’d be standing here today, talking to Keith. He hated having to think there were countless kids out there who didn’t have families. Who loved them? Who taught them to love themselves? Who took care of them, made them feel special? Who was there for them when they fell down, and needed a hand to get back up?

He never pitied them, ever. Sure, he felt sorry for them, but all he ever wanted to do was help. He wanted to show those kids that they could be loved by someone - a mere stranger, even. Lance couldn’t imagine how dull his life would be without his family. Without little Ramira and Anto, skipping around the house with soap bubbles on their hands, giggling as they left half of the dishes unwashed. He couldn’t imagine living in a house, alone. With no noise. No one else. 

An aching feeling began spreading through his chest. 

“Do you . . .” Lance started, glancing down at Keith, seeing him in a whole new light. “Are you ever lonely?”

Keith took in a sharp breath and tensely walked passed Lance to take a seat at the small kitchen table, only big enough for two. He didn’t answer Lance’s question. 

Lance didn’t ask again. He didn’t want to make Keith feel even more uncomfortable than he already was. 

Instead, he apologized as he took a seat across from his date. 

“Sorry, I shouldn’t pry. Hunk’s a fantastic cook, so I’m sure you’ll like what he whipped up. I’d like to take credit for making dinner, but you already heard us talking inside, and I’m sure half the world already knows what a terrible cook I am.”

Lance smiled at himself, waiting for Keith to do the same. 

He didn’t. 

Not letting it get to him, Lance asked another question, this one less personal. “What would you like to drink? I’ve got red wine, classic water, apple juice. Milk?”

Quietly, eyes still lingering on the picture of Lance’s family, Keith answered. “I’ll take a little wine, thanks.”

Lance smiled, like the gracious host he was, and stood to retrieve the wine from the fridge. 

Skillfully pouring Keith half a glass, Lance then poured himself some. He then opened up the small oven to take out their dinner. Just like Hunk promised, there was the seasoned steak, kept in the oven for warmth. Around it, sliced red potatoes were delicately placed about, along with vegetables to add color and variety. It looked beautifully delicious. 

Setting it on the table with the plates and silverware, Lance smiled at his guest, wishing Keith would look him in the eyes with those gorgeous irises of his. Eventually, he did. 

And he shared a soft, sad smile. 

“I’m sorry, my mind’s been wandering all over the place for the past month,” Keith apologized, taking a small sip of wine. 

Lance waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t worry. We’re going to have a blast tonight! I can’t wait for you to watch Star Wars.” Then he added, “I hope you know I’m going to be watching you more than the actual screen. I want to see your reaction to everything.”

“Oh. Great,” Keith teased, “Then maybe I’ll just have to keep a placid expression the entire time.”

Lance gasped, feigning offense. “How dare you-?”

And there it was. 

A genuine smile that slowly crept over Keith’s face. 

And it was because of Lance. Which made him smile, too. 

“I’m not kidding, Pretty Boy. I’ve got this movie memorized, front to back. Or start to finish? Anyway, it’s amazing as hell, and I want to know what you think about it.”

“Alright alright,” Keith chuckled, taking another sip of wine. “But why don’t we eat dinner first?”

Lance smiled at the beautiful young man from across the table. 

“Alright. Dinner first, then movie. Then . . . we’ll see what the night has in store for us.”


	10. Movie Night

Dinner was delicious, just as Hunk promised.

And Keith was amazing, just as Lance suspected. 

After talking about his family and feeling foolish for making his date so uncomfortable, Lance made it his personal goal to give Keith the best night of his life. And so far, it actually seemed to be working. The young man was laughing. His eyes were shining, and he looked so . . . alive. 

Lance smiled at his date, admiring the way Keith’s eyes crinkled up when his smile widened. It was the cutest thing ever. 

Though, after talking until about 9:30, Keith posed a very good question. 

“Weren’t we going to watch Star Wars?” He said in between giggles, having been laughing at one of Lance’s early college stories. “I mean, wasn’t that the whole point of me coming over?”

“Right,” Lance said, chuckling as he got up from his seat. He wondered if Keith was always so giggly, or if that was just the wine talking. _If it is the wine . . ._ Lance thought, _he should drink more often._

“You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen,” Lance suddenly rambled, eyes soaking in the image of Keith. 

Instead of taking flattery from the complement, Keith rolled his eyes. “You’re drunk.” He stated. 

“Maybe,” Lance said, “But I’m sober enough to know what I’m talking about. I’m no liar, Pretty Boy.”

Keith was silent for a moment, making Lance wonder if he had somehow made him feel uncomfortable. 

“Whatever,” Keith muttered and- was he . . . blushing?

“Aww,” Lance cooed, leaning down in front of Keith’s face, just to see how his closeness would affect the other man. “Don’t take compliments well?”

Keith lightly shoved Lance’s face away with a giggle. “Shut up,” he breathed, “I’m just not really used to them. Now please, can we just glue our asses to the couch and watch the damn movie?”

Lance rolled his eyes, and, in his most convincing Keith voice, he mimicked, “Whatever.”

Keith laughed harder. “I’m serious, Lance!” He said, getting up from his spot at the table to make his way over to the couch. Once there, he plopped down on the cushions, face first in the nearest pillow. 

For the slightest moment, Lance considered crawling atop of him, allowing his eyes to wander over his body, followed by his hands. He pictured his mouth grazing over Keith’s neck and sending shivers down his spine.  He saw them tangled up in each other, obsessed, not ever getting enough. He could just imagine having Keith’s tongue slide over his own. The warmth of their bodies as they collided over and over again. Slipping his hand down Keith’s pale, bare back to tug at his jeans. Clamping his teeth aroun-

Something slammed into Lance’s face, knocking him off balance. 

Slipping and landing on his rear, Lance blinked in surprise, eyes wandering about in search of what interrupted his fantasies. 

A pillow. 

Lance heard familiar giggles, and looked up to see Keith’s eyes shimmering mischievously from behind the couch. 

“Lance,” Keith whispered, eyes wide in anticipation, “Please. I wanna watch Star Wars.”

Nodding with a smile, Lance stood. “Alright, I’ll go get it.” Leaving to retrieve the movie, Lance slid his shoes off, along with his blazer. He hoped to get more comfortable while watching the movie, and, if his turning the thermostat down paid off, he’d end up with Keith in his arms by the time Han Solo blasts Greedo’s head off. That in mind, he even undid the top two buttons on his dress shirt and untucked it from his pants. 

Dinner (aka phase 1) was complete. 

Now they had reached phase 2: movie cuddles. 

Coming back into the main room, Lance inserted the DVD he had waited 37 days for, a small smile still lingering on his lips. Then, he grabbed a bag of popcorn and placed it in the microwave. As it was popping, Lance glanced around the counter until he found what he was looking for. Smile widening, he pulled the box closer to him as he waited for the popcorn.

Looking back, It seemed as if his guest had also made himself comfortable. Now wearing just his jeans and the V-neck, along with some socks, Keith was huddled up on the couch, eyes on the screen as the previews started.

After the microwave went off, Lance emptied the contents of the bag into his and Hunk’s designated movie night bowl. Popcorn bowl in one hand, and Milk Duds in the other, he walked around to take a seat next to Keith. Intentionally putting his arm around the other male, he waited for Keith to react to his gesture. 

Sure enough, Keith scowled at him; a warning. 

Lance just smirked, then shook the box of Milk Duds, now next to Keith’s other shoulder. 

Eyebrow perking up, Keith turned his head to the opposite side Lance was sitting. Then a grin spread over his face. 

“Ha ha, you remembered the Milk Duds,” Keith said, now seemingly unaware of the fact that Lance’s arm was still draped around his shoulder. 

_Score._ Lance thought with a smirk. 

“Thank you!” Keith, excited about the treat Lance had bought him, wasted no time opening the box. Popping one into his mouth, he held it out in front of Lance. “Want one?”

“Those are for you,” Lance said, “You get Milk Duds, and I get popcorn.”

As Lance shoved a handful of popcorn in his mouth, he had to keep himself from laughing at the offended look Keith gave him. A look of betrayal. 

“But . . . I want popcorn, too,” Keith said slowly, eyeing the bowl on Lance’s lap. 

Lance shrugged. “Too bad, Pretty Boy. It’s all mine.”

Keith’s features went from sad puppy to angry hawk in less than a second. 

“Dick.” He muttered, then turned to watch the movie.

Lance laughed. _God, he’s even cute when he’s angry._

“I’m kidding, God. Here, have as much popcorn as you’d like.”

Keith glared at him from the corners of his eyes. “I don’t recall ordering the Jack-ass special. It’s all yours. But think of touching my Milk Duds and I’ll chop off your dangly parts.”

“Whoa, Keith,” Lance teased, “It’s only our first date and you’re already offering to touch me there?”

Keith’s eyes bugged open, his cheeks flaring red. His gaze was still set on the screen, but Lance was pretty positive what was running through his head right now. 

He was about to laugh it off when Keith suddenly made a retort.

“Not my fault you’re ass really does look good in those jeans.”

Lance fell silent.

Did Keith just-?

Did he seriously just say that-?

“Shit,” Lance said aloud, 75% sure his pants hadn’t been this tight a minute ago.

He was holding his breath now, not trusting himself to say anything else. 

Was this it?

Was he, Lance McClain, going to lose his virginity?

 _Oh God, please._ His drunken mind screamed. 

He must have been sitting there, staring at Keith’s silhouette, letting his imagination run wild - which, for an intoxicated Lance, was very dangerous - a lot longer than he thought, because the next thing he knew, Keith was staring back, lips parted and eyebrows knit together in a silent question. 

“ . . . ance . . . ? Lance!”

Blinking, Lance forced his mind back into his body. “W-what?”

“I don’t understand. Why is it that Luke is so upset about Obi-Wan dying, but barely shed a tear when his aunt and uncle were killed? I mean, they raised him, right? Didn’t he love them? He barely knew Obi-Wan, yet he went ape shit on those Storm Troopers right after Vader killed him. And what’s with Greedo walking out of the casino right after . . .” Keith continued to elaborate on his questions about the movie, forcing Lance to answer all of them. 

After a while, Lance just started shrugging. “I don’t know,” He said with a smile, “I guess we’ll just have to watch the other ones, huh?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I read 13 Reasons Why yesterday, and was a complete mess all day. I still don't really know how to function, but I'm trying. This was Chapter 10, their date. Hope you enjoyed, there'll be more soon! As well as angst (just forewarning you).


	11. A List

So that’s exactly what they did. 

Every Saturday night, for the next 7 weeks, the two of them would head to the library, grab the next movie, say ‘hi’ to Sharon, and go through the self checkout. 

Lance found himself smiling more often than not, and always looked forward to the weekend. Once, he had suggested they watch it at Keith’s place, but the other man ended up in a frenzy, coming up with as many excuses as possible. Lance, immediately sensing Keith’s discomfort, took his suggestion back. “Alright, that’s fine,” Lance had said, “We’ll watch it at my apartment again. No worries.” After that, Lance had started to wonder what Keith’s home life was like, or how his childhood had been.  

For weeks, Lance tried to think of a way to ask him. For weeks, he never had enough courage, until now. 

They had just finished Rouge One, and Keith was curled up in a blanket, head resting against a pillow. Lance had to nudge him awake more than once tonight, and had even offered to drive him home. He didn’t want Keith falling asleep behind the wheel. 

“No, I’ll be fine,” Keith insisted, “Thanks, though.” Letting the blanket fall from his shoulders as he stood from the couch, Keith turned toward the front door. Finally, after weeks of keeping the question to himself, Lance let it slip from his lips, stopping Keith in his tracks. 

“What was your childhood like?”

Keith’s jaw tightened, his back facing Lance. Now, after knowing Keith for almost 2 months, Lance figured they were close enough by now that he ought to know. He was hoping Keith trusted him enough now to tell him the truth; to confide in him. Though maybe that was just wishful thinking. 

“My childhood?” Keith asked hesitantly. 

“Yeah,” Lance said, sliding into a more comfortable position on the couch, “What was it like?”

Silence fell over them for a minute before Keith spoke softly. “I didn’t have one. Not really.”

Keith turned to face Lance, whose eyebrows were now knit with confusion and concern. “What do you mean you ‘didn’t have one?’” Lance asked warily. “We all grow older. So . . . tell me your story.”

And, after a few more second, he did. 

Lance heard about the brutal life Keith had lived. He heard about the countless foster homes and orphanages. He heard about the long, agonizing search for his mother, whom he had never properly met. He heard about how Keith had been expelled from the Garrison, and how his anger issues tended to get the best of him sometimes. He heard about the awful experiences Keith went through, and the pain he had to endure over the years. And, finally, he heard about himself. How Keith felt when he first met him. How he was angry and upset with everything. How he was frustrated with the world and the majority of people in it. 

Then he heard about how much fun Keith had been having. How carefree he felt whenever he came over to Lance’s apartment. He heard that this was the most Keith had ever smiled in all his years. He heard about the excitement that had entered his life when Lance stepped into it. 

And Lance started crying.

Pristine tears glazing over his cheeks as Keith continued to elaborate. 

A steady flow, showing his empathy in ways words couldn’t. 

He cried because Keith had never known true happiness. 

He cried because Keith didn’t understand what it was like being a child.

He cried because Keith never got to experience the joys of being a kid; carefree and gleeful.

And he continued to cry, until a brilliant idea sparked in his mesmerizing mind.  

“I know what to do,” He said suddenly, a massive grin crossing his features. “I know what to do.”

Grabbing a dark pen and a simple piece of paper, Lance gazed expectantly at Keith from across the kitchen counter. 

“So, you’ve never ran around a park and played hopscotch?” Lance asked, his tears starting to dry out. 

Keith shook his head. “Nope.”

Lance smirked, then scribbled down, in messy handwriting, **hopscotch** and **park** . 

“Have you ever built a snowman, or a sandcastle?”

“ . . . No,” Keith said, eyes shining curiously as Lance scribbled down **snowman** and **sandcastle** . 

“What about ice skating?” Lance asked, “or bowling?”

“Again, no,” Keith said slowly. Then, as Lance was writing down more, he asked, “What are you doing?”

“Shh,” Lance snapped. Then, “Have you ever been to the zoo? The aquarium? How about a haunted house or-” Lance gasped in excitement. “Have you ever made a lemonade stand? Or had a water balloon fight? OR POPPED BUBBLE WRAP?!”

Keith’s eyes widened as Lance’s excitement grew. “Um . . . no, I haven’t. Why?”

“Shh!” Lance hushed him again, then jotted down more notes. After asking a lot more questions and leaving his date more than a little confused, Lance looked over the list, a certain gleam in his eye. 

**Play hopscotch**

**Go to the park**

**Build a snowman**

**Build a sandcastle**

**Go ice skating**

**Go bowling**

**Go to the zoo**

**Go to the aquarium**

**Go through a haunted house**

**Make a lemonade stand**

**Have a water balloon fight**

**Pop bubble wrap**

**Make a wish on a star**

**Go stargazing**

**Have a tickle fight**

**Have a pillow fight**

**Jump on a tramp**

**Go to an amusement park**

**Dance in a fountain**

**Collect and paint rocks**

**Blow bubbles**

**Fly a kite**

**Go through a mirror maze**

**Go hiking**

**Go trick-or-treating**

**Go inside a treehouse**

**Have a sleepover**

**Take a bubble bath**

**Go to a drive-in theater**

**Go camping**

**Have a picnic**

**Run through sprinklers**

**Go skinny-dipping**

**Play hide and seek**

**Play twister**

**Make a blanket fort**

**Cook dinner**

**Sidewalk chalk**

**Go on a bike ride**

**Sing at the top of your lungs**

Keith probably looked at the list and saw things he was never able to experience. He saw everything he had been deprived of as a child. However, when Lance scanned over the list, he smiled. 

He smiled because he saw adventure and excitement that awaited his new friend. 

He smiled because there was a list of opportunity lying right in front of them. 

Lance smiled, because he saw their potential future.

“So . . . what are you doing?” Keith asked once more.

Lance, holding up the paper proudly, smiled. “It’s a list. Kind of like a Bucket List, you know?” He shrugged. “I just figured that since he ran out of movies, we better have other things to do. Things you never got to do before. Since you didn’t get to have a childhood then . . . you’ll have it now. But we probably shouldn’t label it ‘Bucket List’, because that’s a bit morbid. What do you think? We need a title.”

Keith paused, eyes lingering on Lance for well over a minute. The two sat in silence, holding each other’s gaze. Whether they stared out of shock or stubbornness, Lance wasn’t sure.

Finally, Keith made a suggestion.

“How about . . . Self Checkout? You know, since we always use the self checkout stand at the library. It’s . . . it’s what we were standing in front of when we first met.”

Lance’s smile widened. “That’s perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh so cute! Lemme know what you think X)  
> LOVE YOU ALL!


	12. Getting a Ride

Lance was ecstatic. He couldn’t wait to start crossing off fun things on the list Keith and him had created. A week later, when the two of them planned to get together again, Lance had prepared to get as many silly, childish things done as possible. 

First the park. They’d swing together and laugh, seeing who could swing the highest. Then they’d barrel down the slides, crawl through the small tubes and cross the monkey bars. After they exhausted themselves having so much fun, they’d sit down under a nearby tree, where Lance would whip out a blanket and basket for their picnic. He had sifted through some of his family’s old things and found his favorite kite from years ago. The last time he flew that thing- God, he couldn’t remember. When he was seven, maybe? It was a little battered up here and there, but Ramiro and Anto had made sure it was capable of flight before Lance took it back to his apartment with him. 

It was simple, with a depiction of a blue lion splayed over the wings, and a taught string to hold it in place. 

After finding the kite, Lance made a trip to the grocery store and bought a couple things of bubbles for them to blow together. He also purchased some small paint containers, planning on collecting a few rocks and stones for them to decorate once they went back to Lance’s apartment. 

He was prepared. 

And he was excited. 

So excited, in fact, that he didn’t even wait for Keith to knock on his door before he flung it open with a childish grin. 

“KEITH!” He squealed, throwing his arms around the other man. “Are you ready to hit the park, because I am! Oh man, this is gonna be so fun, just wait. I can hardly breathe I’m so excited. AHH!” Lance spun Keith around in his arms, the shorter man’s eyes wide with surprise, and a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. 

On more than one occasion had Lance stared at those lips, wishing they could meet his in a tender, graceful kiss. 

And on more than one occasion had Lance been zapped out of his fantasies when Keith flung him on the forehead.

Now, he found himself staring again. 

They just seemed so soft beautiful. Lance loved the way they moved when Keith spoke, especially when he was happy. Then, he could see the little dimples shining through his cheeks, and the soft sparkle in his eyes. 

_God, he’s gorgeous._ Lance thought to himself, eyes grazing over Keith’s humble features. 

A simple flick to the head was all it took to bring Lance back to reality. 

“The park?” Keith asked, stating it as more of a reminder than an actual question. 

“The park,” Lance agreed with a dazzling smile. “I’ll just grab the picnic basket, then we can head on over.”

As Lance was turning to disappear into his apartment, Keith asked something else. 

“Umm . . . how big is the basket?”

Lance quirked an eyebrow up, thinking it as sort of an odd thing to be asking. 

“Not that big,” He replied, “Maybe the size of my lap, as tall as two of my hands?”

Keith seemed to consider that for a moment. Then he smiled. “Perfect. I”ll drive, then.”

Lance wasn’t going to lie, he was a little surprised. Keith had never offered to drive them anywhere, or even share anything of his before. But now, he looked extremely genuine and generous. 

Lance smiled. “Sounds good.” 

As he tucked himself into the back room of his apartment to grab the picnic basket and say goodbye to Hunk, Lance wondered what kind of car Keith had. 

Red, with smooth black tires? Sports car? Yeah, he seemed like one of those guys with a sports car. Or maybe a truck? Damn, that would be cool. 

“Alright, see ya later, buddy,” Lance called to his roommate, who waved a small goodbye from the bedroom, where he sat, still on the phone with his girlfriend, Shay. 

Turning to face Keith, Lance smiled brighter than ever. Basket in hand and preparations set, he was determined to have the best date of his life. Again. And again and again over these next few weeks. Because with Keith, nothing ever went dull. In fact, everything seemed to burn a little brighter. It was as if he had this immortal flame burning within him, and that fire fed Lance everytime they so much as shared a simple glance. 

It was a little eternal bonfire, and Lance loved it. 

Skipping out the door to stand side by side with his date, Lance glanced around the parking lot in earnest. 

“So,” Lance started, “Which one is yours?”

Keith chuckled, making his way across the parking lot. “Guess.”

“Hmm, alright. Is it . . . that one?” Lance pointed to a red truck that was parked on the far end of the lot, closest to the exit. 

Keith shook his head. “Nope.”

They continued walking. 

“That one? With the cracked headlights?”

“Nope.”

“What about . . . the one with the Triforce sticker? Near the bush?”

Keith chuckled again. “Nope.”

“OkayIgiveupjusttellme. I wanna know what my carriage looks like!” Lance said giddily. He couldn’t wait to hop in the front seat of Keith’s car, share a small, welcome smile with the other man and maybe - just maybe - steal a kiss from him, too. 

However, as soon as Keith pointed out which ride was his, it became all too obvious that none of Lance’s fantasies could ever come true in such a vehicle. 

“ . . . A _Motorcycle?!_ ” Lance exclaimed, not sure how to feel about this newfound information. “You drive a fucking _motorcycle?_ ”

Keith let out a small chuckle. “Uh, yeah. I actually built it myself. Been working on it for years. Just got it up and running a few months ago. Don’t worry, though. It’s completely safe-”

Walking up to the bike, Keith smoothly lifted his leg up and over the seat, sitting down comfortably. Detaching a helmet from the handlebars, Keith held it out for Lance to take. 

“-As long as you wear a helmet.”

Keith smirked. 

Lance stared. 

How was he supposed to make out with this kid on a _motorcycle?_

Sighing, Lance tried to hide his disappointment and growing fear. 

He had never been on a motorcycle before, and vowed that he never would. These things were dangerous, and if you ever got in a wreck on one, you’re guaranteed Death on a silver platter. 

Swallowing his discomfort and the image of his guts splattered across the highway, Lance shakily took the helmet from Keith. Awkwardly sliding on behind his date, Lance made sure to secure their picnic basket in Keith’s duffel bag. The bag was tightly bound to the rear of the motorcycle, lightly grazing Lance’s back every few seconds. 

Then, snapping on his helmet, Lance took a long, deep breath. 

“You good?” Keith asked from in front of him. 

“I dunno,” Lance squeaked, “Where’s _your_ helmet?”

Keith smirked. “You’re wearing it.”

Lance’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head. “You mean you only have one helmet?!”

“Well yeah,” Keith said calmly, “I had never really planned on giving anyone else a ride on this thing. Consider yourself lucky.”

“LUCKY?!” Lance shrieked, “We’re gonna die!”

Keith laughed. “Relax, I ride without a helmet all the time.”

“Oh yeah, and that’s supposed to make me feel better?”

Lance could’ve sworn Keith rolled his gorgeously deep blue eyes at him. “Just relax, and hold on tight. I’ll start off slow, okay?”

Lance nodded reluctantly, snaking his arms around Keith’s waist. If he wasn’t so terrified for his life right now, he might have thought it romantic. Too bad the helmet was in the way, otherwise Lance would have buried his face in Keith’s neck. 

He thought he was holding on tightly enough already, but as soon as Keith revved the engine and starting pulling out of the parking lot, Lance’s hold on him increased by 20+ power. 

When Keith sped up and pulled out into the road, making his way to the speed limit, Lance started shrieking. Squeezing his eyes shut, Lance gripped Keith’s waist like his life depended on it. Which, in this case, it may. 

He was barely able to hear Keith’s beautiful bells of laughter over the screaming wind (and himself) as they barreled down the street.


	13. A Picnic

Keith didn’t plan on this. He didn’t expect his heart to burn with fuelled passion every time he saw Lance. He didn’t think he’d give in to these desires, and actually look forward to the weekend, just so he could take another step into Lance’s apartment. Hew didn’t plan on falling for him. 

Previously, the only thing he wanted out of their growing relationship was forgiveness. 

Now, he wanted sincerity, love and acceptance. 

Now, he was confused, because he found himself thinking about Lance _a lot_. And that terrified him. Yet . . . it was exhilarating and inticing. 

Having Lance’s arms clamped around his waist as he sped down the street brought more than just a smile to his face. It sent a laugh echoing through his lungs, a sparkle in his eyes and a fire in his heart. 

It brought it to life. 

God, he couldn’t remember the last time he felt so rejuvenated. 

It was a small ride to the park - 10 minutes, tops. But in those 600 seconds, Keith felt invincible, and by the time they were just three blocks away from their destination, Lance was laughing with him. 

Screeching to a halt in a parking space, Keith killed the engine and glanced over his shoulder with a wicked grin to see his date’s face. 

Lance’s eyes were wild and large, taking everything in as if seeing it for the first time. He had pulled off his helmet, and now his hair was a tangled, beautiful mess on the top of his head. Keith could imagine his hair was ruffled, too. A massive grin was splayed over Lance’s lips, and a laugh burst from his lungs as he pressed himself closer to Keith’s back. 

“Oh my God that was AMAZING!” Lance howled, “What have I been missing out on all my life?! Ahh! The wind in my face, the cars racing past, the buildings blurring! God Keith that was _encantador! You’re_ delightful . . .” Keith felt Lance squeeze himself closer, and his face blared a bright red as Lance buried his face in his neck. His embrace felt a lot more genuine now, and Keith was tempted to melt into it. 

Instead, he quickly slid off his bike after releasing the kickstand. “Yeah yeah, whatever,” he babbled, trying to hide his blush, “Let’s just get on with it.”

Lance’s eyes shimmered with adoration, and Keith forced himself to look away as the Cuban stepped off his motorcycle with caution. 

“Alright, pretty boy,” Lance said, “Swings first?”

Nodding silently, Keith followed Lance as he skipped toward the swingset childishly. Shaking his head with a small laugh, Keith plopped down on one of the black swings, his boots scraping against the wood chips beneath him. Looking around, he took in the sight of the park. 

He had seen it before. Riding past on his motorcycle, catching glimpses of it as he rode to work. He saw little kids running around the playground, giggling and playing tag. 

Never before had he been one of those kids . . . until now. 

Smiling over at Lance, Keith took part in all of the silly activities he had planned for the two of them. They swung on the swings, slid down the sides, crossed the monkey bars and crawled through the tunnel. They even played a friendly game of tag. Keith had chased Lance around the playground while the other man laughed and shrieked every time Keith came closer than a foot of him. After he had tagged Lance, Keith had pivoted in the opposite direction, and avoided his date for about 15 minutes before Lance gave up. 

After that, Lance decided it was time for them to eat the lunch he had packed. 

Keith offered to grab the basket while Lance found the perfect spot. Unzipping his duffel and retrieving the picnic basket, Keith turned to see the Cuban lying in the grass, staring up at the light shining through the leaves of a nearby oak tree. 

A small smile tugging at the corners of his lips, Keith took a second to just watch. 

Watch Lance flip his legs up in the air, entertaining himself by swinging them back and forth, up and down. Keith marveled at the beauty in front of him. Childhood innocence compacted into the perfect, most delicate body. He watched adoringly as Lance stretched, his arms reaching up above his head as he lay in the soft, green grass. 

And something inside Keith clicked into place. 

Something that he had been missing for years. 

Something he never knew he had. 

He felt love. 

However, with that revelation came fear. He didn’t know how to love. He was never taught how to care for someone other than himself, Shiro, and his mother - who was technically never present in his life. He didn’t know what it was like to stand beside someone, hand in hand, and actually smile. He didn’t know how to control this unknown, foreign emotion. He didn’t know how to contain it. 

Part of him didn’t want to. 

Part of him just wanted to run wild. Grab the freedom he had found and sprint away into the unknown. Part of him wanted to discover this new world that had been opened up to him just now. Part of him wanted to take Lance . . . and just run. 

He didn’t want to lose this - whatever it was. He didn’t want Lance to disappear the way his mother did. 

Closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath, Keith tried to pull himself back to reality. 

Opening his eyes to see Lance sprawled out on the grass, Keith took a mental picture, and vowed never to forget this moment. After he had relished enough, he made his way over to his date with a small smile. 

That tended to happen a lot more now. 

Smiling. 

It felt weird at first - unnatural. Like someone had taken out a part of him and replaced it with a piece of light that didn’t belong to him. Then, after the weeks went by, he learned to accept it. He embraced this new part of him. The part of him that smiled and laughed whenever he was with Lance. The part of him that was genuinely happy. He learned to love it. 

Taking a seat next to Lance, Keith opened up the picnic basket and started to pull out the sandwiches Lance had made. Usually, they would get Hunk to make all the meals for them, but this time Lance wanted it to be intimate and sincere, so he made them himself. Keith thought it was really cute. 

Taking out the sandwich for Lance, Keith handed it over, his heart skipping a beat when their fingers brushed together. 

That was also something he would have to get used to. 

The two of them happily munched on sandwiches, slurped Capri-Suns and blew bubbles. It was silly and childish, yes. But Keith thought it was perfect. 

The ride back to Lance’s apartment wasn’t as crazy as the ride to the park, and Lance’s arms around Keith’s waist wasn’t as tight, but it was more meaningful. 

Slipping off his motorcycle once they had made it back to the apartment, Keith walked Lance to the door, like any good gentleman. While on their date, Lance had got a text from Hunk saying that he was leaving to hang out with his girlfriend. Knowing that Lance’s roommate wasn’t going to be home made Keith a little nervous. He was aware that they had been dating - _Are we boyfriends?_ \- for just over two months now, and Keith would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about kissing the Cuban.

Could now be the time?

Was Lance going to kiss him?

That thought made Keith’s cheeks tinge a slight pink. 

Lance was fiddling with his keys as they made it in front of his door. Keith stared at the door knob. Lance didn’t open the door. Keith held his breath, forcing his eyes to look up toward Lance. 

He was grinning. 

Keith blushed, quickly looking away. 

“Well, I’ll see you next week,” Keith said hurriedly, turning to walk away. 

A slight tug on his leather jacket made him turn back around. 

Lance’s eyes bore into Keith’s, and, involuntarily, Keith found himself staring at a pair of soft brown lips. 

“Keith,” Lance breathed. The other man caught a whiff of minty fresh breath. 

“ . . . yeah?” Keith asked cautiously. 

The taller, lanky man took a small step closer, and, a bit too eagerly, Keith took a step forward, tilting his head toward Lance’s lips. 

His heart felt like it was about to combust, sending fireworks and rockets off throughout his entire body. 

Slowly allowing his eyes to drift closed, Keith took in another breath, and leaned in to feel Lance’s skin on his own. 

But it wasn’t his lips. 

Opening his eyes, Keith saw Lance giggling to himself, his hand covering Keith’s mouth. 

“Have a good night,” Lance said with a tempting smile. 

Then he disappeared into his apartment.


	14. An Ex-Boyfriend

“Shiro, I need help.” 

“Don’t we all?”

“Well, yes. But that’s not the point. You know my new ‘friend?’” Keith pust air quotations around the word _friend_ when he spoke it. Currently, he was lying on the tile floor of their small kitchen, overthinking everything. And by everything, he means _EVERYTHING_. 

“You mean your prostitute lover?” Shiro asked. 

Keith glared at him from his position on the floor, getting a perfectly good view up the other man’s nose. 

“Sure, whatever.” Keith huffed, not seeing the point in arguing anymore. 

“Alright,” Shiro said, “What about him?”

Keith paused, wondering if he truly should confide in his roommate. Then, without allowing himself to bottle up all his emotions like he was so used to doing, Keith let it out. 

“I almost kissed him.”

Choking. 

Shiro was _choking_ on his glass of water. 

“You _what?!_ ” 

Burying his face in the sleeves of his massive red sweater, Keith curled up in a ball of disappointment and embarrassment. He didn’t feel like repeating what he had just said. Yet there was no denying it. 

Keith tried to kiss that damned fool. 

And was utterly rejected. 

It was hard to describe the broken feeling that had burst through Keith’s chest after Lance had walked away. It was hard to describe the emptiness that swallowed him up as he raced down the streets, the chaotic wind drying all his tears and refusing to let him cry. It was hard to describe the prick of growing pain in his heart while he had laid in bed all night, sleep denying him a blissful escape from his damaging mind. It was hard to describe the disgust he felt for himself as he sat at the kitchen table, staring at an empty table, then slowly taking his place on the dirtied floor of the kitchen. 

“This is my grave.” He said dramatically. “Just let me die here in shame.”

The sound of a kitchen stool scooting across the floor made Keith raise his head a bit. 

Shrio, being the supportive friend that he was, lied down next to his grieving roommate. “You’re being overdramatic.”

“I’m being realistic,” Keith retorted. “I ruined it. I ruined everything. He’s never going to talk to me again. He hates me.”

“I’m sure he doesn’t hate you,” Shiro reassured, “Wasn’t he the one that started flirting with you in the first place?”

“That was before I took things too far too fast.”

Shiro sighed. “Remember Rolo?”

That was enough to snap Keith upright and send a menacing glare at his roommate. “We agreed never to talk about that again. You promised, Shiro. Never. Again.”

His friend used his one arm to boost himself up on his rear, then gave a small, innocent shrug. “Desperate times, desperate measures.”

“No,” Keith said cautiously, not wanting to be reminded of his ex-boyfriend. “No - NO. Shiro, you promised!”

“Just shut the fuck up and listen to me, princess.” Shiro said, giving Keith a warning look. 

Closing his eyes and slumping back down in defeat, Keith prepared for Shiro to launch into the story. And that’s precisely what he did. 

“You two were adorable, you know that, right?” Shiro started, but didn’t wait for an answer. “You two would flick food at each other from across the dinner table and laugh, you’d go see movies and hold each other’s hands, you’d even make out in the back of his truck because- hell, why not? You were in love. You were also a stupid teenager with too many fucking hormones to function properly, and when Rolo suggested the unmentionable, you ran. You said it was because it was too early. You didn’t want to get into that kind of shit until you were actually responsible. You said you didn’t want to, because you weren’t 100% sure that Rolo was the one. And you ended up running. You ran away from him because you started to believe he was only dating you because you were a good kisser. You ran away because you convinced yourself he only wanted your body. You ran away because you thought he didn’t care about the real you. You ran away because you were insecure. Now, you’re doing the same thing, but with a different person. 

“Keith, you can’t keep telling yourself that no one cares. No matter how much pain and heartache you’ve been through, you can’t keep convincing yourself that you’re worthless. You’re not. You’re a beautiful human being who deserves to be loved and cared for. But as soon as you find someone adequate enough to fill the role of a lover, you run. You run because you’re scared of getting hurt again.

“But, Keith . . . you’ve got to have some faith. 

“Find your light. Don’t blow it out.”

Keith sighed, hating how good Shiro was at giving bullshit advice. 

“Don’t blow it out,” Keith recited. 

Shiro smiled. “Don’t blow it out.”

There was a moment of silence before their front door opened, and Allura stepped into the apartment with Nyma at her side. 

Keith glared.

_Wow, perfect timing,_ He thought bitterly, _Just the meat-lover I wanted to see right now._

“Hello Shiro!” Allura greeted with a grin. Today, her bright white hair was pulled back in a french ponytail and gliding down her elegant shoulder. She was wearing her usual smile, with a short blue skirt, white leggings, a bubblegum pink sweater with a white collar shirt underneath, and a matching necklace and earrings with light pink boots. 

God, Keith swore she wore the same color scheme every day. 

Though he supposed he had no room to talk. 

Nyma, on the other hand, was dressed a little more inappropriately, especially considering the frigid weather. With floral designs on the rear pockets of her short shorts, the white crop top and denim jacket, she looked like every stereotypical hipster in high school who tries too hard and begs for attention. Especially with that red lip gloss, hoop earrings and elegant sandals.

“Keith,” Nyma said with a glare. 

“Bitch,” Keith retorted. 

“Allura!” Shiro said happily, intentionally blocking Keith’s view of the woman who had pounced on Rolo the second he and Keith had broken things off. 

Allura launched her arms around her boyfriend, Shiro doing the same with his. After their embrace, Allura turned to Keith. 

“Hey Keith, I was just wondering if we could borrow your motorcycle for a photo shoot. We’re going for a more bad-a sort of look, and I think your bike would be perfect.”

“I can’t believe you’re dating a girl who can’t even bring herself to say the word ‘badass’,” Keith noted, staring at Shiro with an amused smirk. 

Shiro chuckled, and Allura’s face fumed a slight red before she said, “I can say the word bada . . . ss.”

Shiro planted a kiss on her rosy cheek. “You’re adorable.”

“No, I’m not. I’m a badass.” Allura said, turning her head away from Shiro with a small giggle. “So? Your bike?”

Keith sighed. “Sure, just as long as you don’t turn it on or move it around so much.”

“Thank you!” Allura squealed, throwing her arms around Keith in an embrace. It caught the young man a little off guard, but Keith returned the favor after an awkward moment of silence filled the room. 

“We’ll be sure to keep it safe, I promise!” Allura called, hurrying out the front door, Nyma in toll right behind her. 

“We’d better go supervise,” Shiro said, “Wouldn’t want them to break anything or kill anyone.”

Keith nodded, grabbing his pair of boots to lace them up over his ripped black jeans. Shiro was already out the door, and Keith followed him out just a minute later, ready to snap Nyma’s neck if she so much as breathed near his bike.


	15. Misunderstanding

They were only outside taking pictures for about 15 minutes when Keith recognized Lance’s van drive by. 

Heart constricting in his chest as his eyes followed the driver, he knew without a doubt that it was Lance himself. For a moment, their eyes met. Keith’s cheeks flared a bright red, and he cursed himself for not putting in his contacts this morning. 

At the time, he had been too lazy. He didn’t want to deal with it. It was tiresome and painful. He wasn’t planning on leaving the house, and he promised he wasn’t going to hang out with Lance anytime soon. 

Yet there Lance was, staring at him from the driver’s seat, eyes wide as he took in the sight of Keith in his big, blocky glasses. 

Quickly turning away, Keith focused his attention on his bike, praying to any entity out there that Lance hadn’t recognized him. 

Curse his unlucky stars, Lance was now pulling into the parking lot. 

Hiding his reddened face with a pale hand, Keith gave Shiro a pleading look that seemed to beg: _Save me!_

Raising in eyebrow in confusion, Shiro shrugged. 

Then, once he noticed Lance’s van park a few spaces away, that little fucker _smiled._

“Hey Lance!” Shiro called, waving at the Cuban from a few yards away. 

“Shiro,” Keith hissed, “Shut up!”

Keith wasn’t watching, but he heard Lance step out of his car, closing the door and locking it with a _click._

“Nice to finally meet you. My name’s Shiro,” Keith’s roommate held out his one hand for Lance to shake, but when Keith stole a glance at the taller man, he noticed Lance’s gaze was completely engulfed in something else entirely. 

“Oh. My. God,” Lance breathed, his intense blue eyes staring down Allura as his left hand numbly shook Shiro’s.

“You’re her. You’re Allura. Ohmygod. You’re ALLURA - founder of the _Royal Outfitters_ company and designer of the best fucking clothing brand on Earth!” His hands shoot up into the air enthusiastically as a wicked grin spread over his face. “What the hell are you doing here?! And-” Lance gasped. “NYMA?!” 

Keith could’ve sworn there were tears of joy sparkling in Lance’s eyes. 

“You’re the most beautiful, extravagant, radiant model in the whole fucking world! Number 1 in EVERY style category. You’re- You’re a modeling LEGEND. Oh my God you’re even more gorgeous in person! How-” Lance stared at them in awe. “Why . . . why are you here?” He wondered aloud. 

Keith had to stop himself from ripping Nyma’s head clean off. 

This wasn't’ happening. It couldn’t be. Not again. 

As rage and pure hatred began boiling over in the pit of Keith’s stomach, he took a threatening step forward, ready to claw the living shit out of Nyma. 

No way was she going to steal another man from him. 

However, just as he was three steps away from her, Shiro interfered.

“Well, I already introduced myself,” He said, cautiously stepping in between Keith and Nyma, “And it seems you know who Allura and Nyma are.”

Allura waved sweetly, but her eyes soon flicked back to Keith. She looked cautious and a little on edge. 

Nyma smiled coyly and waved. 

“Allura is my beautiful girlfriend, and Nyma is her top model in the industry. I’m Keith’s roommate,” Shiro explained. 

Lance’s jaw dropped, and for the first time since he stepped out of the car, he looked at Keith. 

“You’re _roommates_ with Allura’s _boyfriend?!_ Oh my God Keith, why didn’t you tell me? That’s so cool!” Lance sprung forward as if to give Keith a hug, but after the other night, Keith wasn’t sure how to respond. 

He took a step back involuntarily, a look of pain flashing over his face. 

Lance immediately looked concerned. 

“Keith? Is something wrong?” He asked. 

Keith’s eyes flicked in and out of the corner of his frames. He felt so insecure, standing here with his hideous glasses and tattered sweater, with Nyma grinning like the devil behind Lance, and Lance’s eyes soaking in his image. He felt pinned in; trapped. 

“Keith?” Lance took another step forward, and Keith tried not to flinch. 

As much as he wished he could just bundle up in Lance’s warm embrace, he felt as if he couldn’t. As if he somehow wasn’t allowed.

“Please, Keith,” Lance tried again, “What’s wrong?”

Keith’s gaze flitted over to Shiro, and the older man nodded. 

Turning to face his girlfriend, Shiro said, “Hey, Allura? Do you mind giving us some space? You can come back tomorrow night if you need more pictures.”

Allura nodded, though her eyes shone with uncertainty. She gave Shrio a hug, a small kiss on the cheek, then dragged Nyma away across the parking lot. 

It was just the three of them now, and after two full minutes of painful silence, Keith whispered, “I’m sorry.”

Shiro stepped forward protectively. “Keith, there’s nothing to apologize for. It wasn’t your fault.”

Lance looked back and forth between the two of them, seemingly a little panicked. 

“I’m guessing this isn’t the best time to point out the fact that Keith looks absolutely fucking adorable in glasses,” Lance spluttered out, causing Keith’s face to heat up like an oven. 

“No,” Keith said bitterly, “It’s not.”

Lance held his hands up in defense. “Alright? I’m sor-”

“Lance,” Shiro said calmly, “You’re fine. Just . . . let him talk.”

“There’s nothing I want to talk about!” Keith shouted, his voice cracking with pain. “There’s nothing _to_ talk about. I messed things up. It’s all my fault . . . right? It’s always my fault.” 

Shiro sighed sadly, then gently took hold of Keith’s forearm. “C’mon. Let’s go inside. Lance, you coming?”

Keith shook his head. “Shiro-”

“He’s coming.” Shiro said decidedly. “He needs to know.”

Shamefully following Shiro inside, Keith refused to look at Lance. He didn’t want to see the face of another person who would leave him. 

As the three of them stepped through the front door of Keith and Shiro’s apartment, Keith kept his gaze lowered, staring at the lightly colored carpet. 

“I’m going to pop some popcorn,” Shiro offered, “Why don’t you guys sit on the couch? Make yourselves comfortable.”

“Thanks,” Lance said a bit awkwardly, gently leading Keith to the dark couch. The two of them took a seat, and, after a few seconds, Lance spoke. 

“Did something happen?”

Glaring at the taller, tanner boy, Keith swallowed down a few bitter remarks. 

“You know damn well what happened. What the hell was up with that last night? Did I do something wrong? Did I mess something up? Am I not good enough for you? What is it? What did I do?”

At this point, Keith felt more hopeless than angry. 

He didn’t want to lose Lance. He didn’t want to lose the happiness that had made an appearance in his life. He didn’t want to let go of the smiles and the laughs. 

A look of confusion spread over Lance’s face. “What?” He wondered. “You didn’t go anything-”

“So I’m just too revolting? I’m just not what you’re looking for right now?”

Keith stared up at Lance desperately. It was silent between the two of them, Lance’s eyes wide with shock.

Then he started laughing. 

His head was thrown back in beautiful laughter. 

“What the fuck, Keith? Is this because I didn’t kiss you last night?”

“Well . . . yeah,” Keith said uncertainly, “I thought you . . . you just didn’t want to- Why . . . why are you laughing?”

“Oh my God. You’re even more of a drama queen than I thought, pretty boy.” Lance shot Keith a mischievous smirk. “I didn’t kiss you not because I didn’t want to. I didn’t kiss you because I knew if I did, I wouldn’t be able to stop. You see, there’s this thing called self control. I’m trying to be a little better at it. But I can tell you right now: you didn’t do a damn thing wrong. In fact, you’ve been doing everything so right, that it’s driving me insane. No need to overthink it, Keith. You’re more than just amazing, and when I’m with you, I gotta say . . . I’m overzealous.”

“Overzealous?” Keith wondered, his mind still trying to piece together this puzzle Lance had thrown at him. 

“Uh, yeah . . . you know, like ‘overly excited’, ‘impassioned’, ‘emotio’-”

Keith lightly shoved Lance into a couch cushion, a small giggle forming on his lips. “I know what it means, you asshat!”

Lance smiled, and that light inside Keith that had been so dim the night before flared up again, feeding him a little more hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed Chapter 15! Love you all :)


	16. A Tour

“Here’s the popcorn,” Shiro said, setting down a bowl full of buttery goodness. “I called Allura and invited her over. I’m just going to go pick her up, then we can start the movie. Double date?”

“Wow yeah that sounds awesome!” Lance said before Keith could object. 

Shiro smiled. “Alright. Be back in a minute or two. Or forty.” Sending Keith a suggestive wink, Shiro fled from the apartment to go pick up his girlfriend. 

The two of them were left in silence for a few seconds before Lance asked, “So what movie are we going watch?”

Keith shrugged. “I’m not sure. We could scroll through Netflix.”

“Alright.” 

Keith leaned forward, retrieving the remote from their coffee table. Switching on the screen, Keith turned on the Apple TV, scrolled down to Netflix, and waited awkwardly while it began to load.

He noticed Lance’s eyes roaming around the room, and remembered that this was the first time Lance had ever been in his apartment. 

“I can give you a tour, if you want?” Keith suggested, feeling a smile form on his lips when he saw Lance’s face light up. 

“Yeah, sure!” Lance agreed enthusiastically, rising to his feet. 

Following Lance’s example, Keith stood, then led his (boyfriend?) into the kitchen. 

Spreading arms dramatically, Keith announced. “Behold - the kitchen! Where pots and pans are furiously scrubbed and utensils are hardly used.” He then leaned in as if telling Lance a dirty secret. “We prefer to use our fingers. It’s more masculine.”

Lance giggled, and Keith could’ve sworn there was a tint of pink that dotted his cheeks. 

It was ridiculous to think that Keith could have that effect on a person. 

The thought made him smile. 

He could make Lance _blush_.

Leading his guest down the hall, Keith continued speaking, this time in a tour guide voice. 

“As we walk through the hall, you’ll notice an open doorway to your right.” Keith made the appropriate gesture. “Once a hideous pink, these walls have now been saved by the miraculous ash grey paint. You can tell from the smell that it was coated recently. This is where the inhabitants rest during the night. It’s also not uncommon for two-men parties, filled with video games, junk food and beer.” Glancing back at Lance, Keith saw the biggest smile on his guest's lips. 

That made his humiliation worth it. 

“Moving on,” Keith said, continuing down the hall. “To your left is a rather miniscule bathing area. You’ll find all your cleansing needs in there, including hand soap, dry towels and extra lubricant-”

“Keith!” Lance squealed, a laugh bursting from his lungs. “Oh my God!” 

Keith shrugged innocently. “What? It’s true.”

“You can’t just say things like that!” Lance managed in between laughs. 

Again, Keith shrugged. “Anyway,” He said, taking a step deeper into his apartment, “Back here is the ‘guest room’, mainly used for storing useless shit, our illegal pets and unnecessary furniture.” Instead of gesturing into the room, Keith walked right through the doorway and to the opposite corner of the room, where their black cat was curled up on her favorite pillow. 

“Oh my God, you have a cat?” Lance cooed, following Keith into the room. “What her name? Er-his?”

Keith smiled, gently rubbing his cat’s back with his pale fingers. “She’s a girl. And her name’s Midna.”

It took Lance a minute, but thank God he understood. 

“You mean like, from Twilight Princess? That Zelda game?”

Keith nodded. “I’m obsessed. And if you say anything degrading about any of the Zelda games, I’m breaking up with you.”

Lance’s eyes widened in surprise. Then a mischievous smirk played at the corners of his mouth. “So it’s official now, huh? We’re dating?”

Keith was sure his blood just had risen 100+ degrees. There was no way his face could have burned any hotter. 

“W-well I- I didn’t mean- I mean, well- I just . . . I wasn’t sure- and . . . I just- umm . . .”

Lance laughed, then casually draped a long arm around Keith shoulders. 

“So, since we’re an official couple now, does that mean I get to hold your hand?” He whispered in Keith’s ear, slyly slipping his fingertips over Keith’s until they interlaced perfectly. “Since we’re together, does that mean I get to kiss you goodnight?” 

Keith froze. 

His heart should’ve malfunctioned by now, why was it still beating? 

Lance’s soft, warm breath tickled the hair on Keith’s neck as he leaned in closer. His tan, smooth lips grazed Keith’s pale cheek, and Keith let out a small squeak as Lance planted a kiss on his skin. 

“Since we’re dating, does that mean I get to hold the door open for you, call you cute pet names, use your shower and borrow your clothes?”

“Lance,” Keith said. He had meant it to come out as warning, but when he heard the way he had spoken Lance’s name, it was almost enough to give him a hard-on. 

“Yeah, babe?” Lance cooed, sliding his hand down Keith’s chest, the other still laced with Keith’s. 

Keith’s eyes flitted up to meet Lance’s, and he was surprised by how mesmerizing they were when his pupils were enlarged. 

“Kiss me,” Keith commanded, not sure where the words had come from. 

Lance smirked, cocking an eyebrow upward. He certainly looked amused, but made no effort to carry out Keith’s plea. 

“I said kiss me, damn it!” Keith said desperately. 

“Now now, looks like somebody is impatient.”

Keith could’ve sworn he growling in annoyance. “Lance,” He said dangerously. 

“Hon, as much as that thought appeals to me, we wouldn’t want your friend walking in on a rated R movie scene, now would we?”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Keith breathed, desperate for a taste of the tall, beautifully crafted Cuban in front of him. “ _I don’t care._ Kiss me, Lance.”

The sexual tension between the two seemed to sky rocket through the roof as Lance grabbed a fistfull of Keith’s shirt, then stepped forward to smash their lips together. 

Keith wished he could brag about how amazing it was. How Lance tasted like minty flakes and smelled like caramel and green apples. He wished he could tell everyone how beautiful this moment was. How brilliant the kiss was, and how Lance was a magnificent kisser. He wished he could say that it was the most intoxicating and marvelous thing to ever happen to him. 

However, before it was about to unfold, the front door of the apartment flung open, and Shiro, along with his girlfriend, stepped inside. 

“Hey guys, I’m back!” Shiro hollered. 

Keith nearly flung himself away from Lance. Stumbling to the floor, he barely avoided landing on Midna, who _meowed _violently and scurried out of the room. Lance’s face was a blaring siren red, and he stood as still as Keith had ever seen him.__

__Shiro strolled casually into the room, Allura right behind him._ _

__“Have you guys picked a movie yet?” He asked innocently._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
> 
> I'm evil. I know.


	17. Breakfast

Lance woke up to a loud _CRASH!_ and a hissed, “Fuck!” 

Eyes snapping open, Lance glanced around, taking a minute to take in his surroundings. 

He had forgotten he was at Keith’s apartment. The four of them had cuddled up on the couch, everyone clad in their pajamas. Lance had stripped down to his blue plaid boxers, and Keith was wearing an oversized _Red Hot Chili-Peppers_ T-shirt with his red briefs. Allura had borrowed one of her boyfriend’s t-shirts, and was wearing a pair of comfortable running shorts, while Shiro had put on pajama pants and gone shirtless. 

As of now, Lance was sitting on the couch, early morning sunshine slipping through the blinds. He must have fallen asleep during the movie.

Looking to his left, his eyes took in the most beautiful scene to ever exist. 

Keith’s eyes were gently closed, his long, dark eyelashes brushing against his pale cheek. His glasses were crooked, the side of them being dug into Lance’s shoulder as Keith rested his head against his boyfriend. Lance smiled, noting the way Keith’s mouth hung open a little when he slept. His _Red Hot Chili-Peppers_ shirt had slipped down his shoulder slightly, exposing smooth, pale skin. His feet were tucked up into his chest, his _Spider-Man_ blanket covering his legs as his toes peeked out from underneath. His arms were loosely wrapped around Lance’s bare waist, and Lance thanked every entity out there that his boyfriend was such a clingy little cutie. 

_God, he’s adorable,_ Lance thought, his smile spreading even wider. 

“You guys are disgustingly adorable.”

Whipping his head around to the right to see who had spoken, Lance saw a . . . girl (or boy?) taking a seat on a bar stool at the counter. They had just picked up a fallen bowl, which would explain the crash Lance was awakened by. Shiro was in the kitchen, stirring up something in a pan that smelled deliciously like eggs. 

He had never seen the kid before, and was wondering who the hell they were when Shiro introduced them.

“Lance, this is Pidge, our neighbor and good friend. Pidge, this is Lance, Keith’s boyfriend.”

Their eyes widened. “HOLY FUCK! THEY’RE ACTUALLY DATING?!?!” 

Cue the laughter.

“Keith ACTUALLY has a boyfriend?! HAHAHAHA- Oh my- Oh my God! Haha!” Lance thought the little gremlin was going to fall of their chair they were laughing so hard. 

“Umm _yeah_ ,” Lance said defensively, “Do you see this kid? He’s fucking adorable!” Lance gestured to Keith, who was still sound asleep with his head lying on Lance’s shoulder. “He’s like a fucking cuddly koala bear with glasses and I am living for it!”

“Looks more like a deformed vampire to me, but sure. We’ll go with koala bear.” Pidge said, still holding back laughter. 

“Pidge. Be nice to Keith,” Shiro scolded, “I don’t care if he can’t see or hear you right now - it’s still offensive. Plus, I’m the one making you breakfast right now, and I could just as easily make your omelette out of mashed bananas, shredded carrots, and canned beans.”

Pidge shrugged. “I’d probably still it, to be honest.”

“Eww,” Lance giggled, crinkling his nose in disgust. As his shoulders shook with the small laughter, Keith moaned in his sleep and shifted closer to Lance, curling his arms around him tighter and pressing his nose into the crook of Lance’s neck. 

“Oh my God-” Lance breathed, his face no doubt ten times more red than it was when he first awoke. 

Then, changing the subject before Pidge could bark out a snarky comment, Lance said, “So what time is it, anyway? And where did Allura disappear to?”

Last night, before the movie had started, Allura had surprised Lance famously when she asked him if he would ever be interested in modeling for one of her new designs. Eagerly agreeing, Lance and the fashion Goddess discussed times to get together and shoot some pictures. She had insisted that Lance would make a great addition to their models, and even offered discounts on the brand name. If Lance had come to know anything new about Allura, it was that that girl was _not_ shy when it came to dishing out compliments. 

She had gone on and on about how perfect Lance’s features were, how his body would fit nicely into any suit, and how his gentle freckles and piercing eyes would cause millions of girls (and boys) to swoon. 

Allura hadn’t stop praising Lance’s beauty until Shiro coughed awkwardly and said, “I’m _right_ here.”

Now, as Lance wondered where Allura had gone, he waited for an answer as Shiro sprinkled cheese over the omelette. 

“I drove her home last night after the movie. Then this one-” He gestured to Pidge with his spatula “-decided to barge in and demand me to make an omelette for her.”

“ _Them,_ ” Pidge corrected. 

“Right, sorry. They don’t like pronouns,” Shiro explained vaguely. 

Lance nodded. “I agree. People are people, and pronouns are stupid.”

Pidge threw up their arms as if their favorite sports teams just scored the winning goal. 

“THANK THE ANCIENTS! At least SOMEBODY in this god damned apartment understands me! Halle-fuckin-lujah, REJOICE my mother fuckers!” Dramatically rising to their feet, Pidge then proceeded to march toward Lance. Holding out a balled fist ceremoniously, Pidge then fist bumped Lance, then wiped away a fake tear. 

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I actually approve of Keith’s new boyfriend.” 

“Umm . . . thanks?” Lance said with a chuckle. 

“Pidge,” Shiro called from the kitchen, “Your omelette is ready.”

“Hell yes,” Pidge pumped their fists in the air, then sprinted back into the kitchen to eat their breakfast. While they munched down on their omelette, Keith began stirring again, his eyes groggily lifting open this time.”

“Mornin’ sunshine,” Lance said with a grin. 

“Fuck off,” Keith replied.

“Aww, not a morning person?” Lance cooed into his boyfriend’s ear.

Keith clumsily pushed himself off of Lance, flopping down on the other side of the couch. “I said fuck off.” 

Lance giggled. “You’re adorable.”

Leaning over to kiss the top of Keith’s grumpy head, Lance had just enough time to hear Shiro say, “I wouldn’t-” before Keith’s fist gripped a pillow and smashed it mercilessly in Lance’s face. 

Stumbling backward, Lance slipped off the couch and landed flat on his ass, hard. 

Pidge burst out laughing, and Shiro sighed.

“I told you,” Shiro said, “He’s a grumpy little bitch when he’s tired.”

Lance should have been offended. He should have backed off, and let Keith sleep for a little longer. 

But where was the fun in that?

Allowing a villainous smirk to spread over his lips, Lance grabbed the pillow from off the floor.

“Oh it’s on, pretty boy.”

Leaping from the floor, Lance lifted the pillow over his head, then brought it crashing down on Keith’s ass. 

With a small yelp, Keith jolted upright, just in time to get smacked in the head with another pillow. 

“Lance, what the hell?!” Keith growled, “I SAID FU-”

Lance hit him again, then wiggled his eyebrows at him from across the room. Wagging another pillow in his hands, Lance smiled. 

“Lance stop it.” Keith glared. 

“Make me,” Lance said with a wink.

And in the next second, Keith was giggling as he smashed another pillow into Lance’s face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think of Pidge? And Lance being a model for _Royal Outfitters?_


	18. Secrets

**~~Go to the park~~**

**~~Have a pillow fight~~ **

**~~Blow bubbles~~ **

**~~Fly a kite~~ **

**~~Have a sleepover~~ **

**~~Have a picnic~~ **

Lance smiled as he crossed off a few things on their list. He had put on a shirt after their pillow fight, but his (and Keith’s) hair was still a mess. They were sitting together at the table, eating the omelettes that Shiro had so nicely prepared for them. They were all sipping from wine glasses with the exception of Pidge, who was slurping down a cup of milk.

“What the hell is wrong with your face?” Pidge asked, leaning closer to Keith. “It’s . . . cracking. Oh my God- wait. Is that- Is that a SMILE?!”

Keith lightly nudged them in the shoulder. “Shut up, Pidge,” he managed in between giggles. 

“No, really!” Pidge exaggerated, “If this is what this Lance guy is capable of doing to you, then I’ll start planning the wedding NOW. Shiro, you in?” Pidge looked expectantly over at Shiro, who was now sliding onto a stool with a freshly made omelette.

“Hell yeah I’m in. I can say with 100% certainty that he’s smiled more in the past two months than he has in his entire life. Allura will pick out the tux’s, you get the decorations and I’ll get the food?”

“Actually,” Lance butt in playfully, “My roommate Hunk is an outstanding cook. I’m sure he’d love to prepare the food for the wedding.”

Pidge burst out laughing. “Now all we need is the groom’s permission. Keith?”

Keith sent a warning glance in Pidge’s direction. “Never in a million years,” He scoffed.

Then, as Lance’s heart was just about to sink down to his stomach, Keith said, “Besides, we’re probably just going to elope.”

Everyone fell silent. Lance blinked. 

_Holy shit . . ._ he thought, watching the smile that spread over Keith’s face as he started laughing at his own joke. 

“Damn Keith,” Pidge said, bewildered, “I didn’t know you had a sense of humor.”

“Yeah well there’s a lot of things you don’t know about me,” Keith countered.

“Care to share any examples?” Lance teased. “I wanna know what kind of dirty secrets my boyfriend has.” Lance dropped a wink in Keith’s direction, taking immense satisfaction in the blush that formed on his cheeks. 

“Well I’m sure I’m not the only one with secrets, Lance,” Keith said a little defensively. 

“You’re right,” Lance said, standing up from his seat at the counter. Dramatically spreading his arms, he announced, “I’ll go first, then? Let’s see . . .” Placing a finger to his chin, Lance thought back on any embarrassing moments he had had or dirty secrets he could share. “Ah!” He said, a dreadful memory coming back to him, “This one time, I went to the movie theater with my family and some really hot girl ended up sitting in front me. She was with some guy, and after staring at the back of her head more than the actual screen, by time the movie was halfway through I had a total hard-on-”

There was laughter, but Lance refused to stop telling the story until it was complete. 

“-so, naturally, I told my parents I had to take a piss. Leaving to go ‘take care of myself’, I was actually interrupted when the girl’s boyfriend walked into the bathroom-”

“Oh my God!” Pidge blurted, bursting into another fit of laughter. 

Lance, too, allowed himself to chuckle. “Yeah, it was awful. I guess he had saw me staring at her at one point, and then followed me into the bathroom. So he comes knocking on the door of my stall, and, not knowing it was the girl’s boyfriend, I was kind of just like, ‘What? What do you want?’, and after a few seconds the guy was like, ‘Are you fucking kidding me? You’re jerking off to my fucking cousin?’ And at that point I was like ‘oh shit-’ and shoved myself back in my pants, because I didn’t know what else to do. I had no idea they were related, and I guess that should have made things a little less awkward, but still. 

“But when I finally opened the door and looked at him, he didn’t look mad. He looked, almost, jealous. So I apologized for my stupid hormones and just told him that I couldn’t help myself- I’m a teenage, bisexual male. And when I said ‘bisexual’ he perked right the fuck up and end of story that’s how I nearly lost my virginity.”

Pidge was a hysterical mess now, and Shiro was shaking his head, trying to look disappointed, but not hiding his smile very well. Keith was giggling like a little girl, and barely managed to say, “What do you mean _nearly_ lost your virginity?”

“Well I mean, we got to second base and were runnin’ to third when some old guy flushed a toilet and stepped out of his stall.”

And down Pidge went. 

They crashed to the floor as laughs exploded from their mouth. 

“YOU MEAN- HE WAS THERE- THE WHOLE TIME?!?!? HAHAHA! OHMYGODLANCE- HAHAHA!” Tears began streaming down their face, and even though that had been the most horrific thing to happen to Lance at the time, he laughed about it now. 

The other’s got a kick out of his story as well. Then Shiro launched into a story of his.

“No no no,” He started, “That’s not nearly as bad as the time Allura walked in on me ass-naked singing at the top of lungs to _Ain’t No Mountain High Enough._ God that was embarrassing as fuck.”

Keith laughed even harder, his dimples shining through his cheeks. “Oh God that was HILARIOUS! Or like that time she dropped by before you had gotten home, and you didn’t know she was here-” Keith’s giggles were getting out of control, and it was harder to decipher what he was saying. “-so we were- sitting- on the couch- and you- you came in haha- through the door with hahaha- you came in- and you had- you were carrying- oh God- you were holding a box of- kehehehe- con-condoms- and you-”

“Keith!” Shiro exclaimed, his face burned red, “Oh my God NO! Stop!”

Keith just doubled over into another fit of laughter, continuing the story. 

“The condoms- and- and lube- and you said- haha- you just asked ‘Keith,’” Keith spoke in a terribly adorable impression of Shiro, “‘Do you think- that Allura- haha!” He could hardly get through an entire sentence he was laughing so hard. Finally, he took a deep breath and sputtered out the rest. “‘DoyouthinkAllurawouldlikePoppin’CherryorTropicalFruitExplosionbecauseI’vegotenoughTOLASTUSDAYS-’ AND ALLURA WAS RIGHT. FUCKING. THERE. STARING AT YOU. THE WHOLE FUCKING TIME. AND YOU HAD NO IDEA-”

“KETIH!” Shiro shouted out with a belt of laughter, “Oh my God, it wasn’t even that funny-”

“I’M GONNA CRY!” Keith practically spasmed forward, digging his head into Lance’s shoulder as he laughed. 

Lance giggled along with his boyfriend. “You definitely need to drink wine more often.” 

“Is he always this giggly when he’s drunk?” Pidge asked, finally getting up from off the apartment floor.

“Pretty much,” Shiro answered.

“I like drunk Keith,” Pidge said decidedly. 

“Me too,” Lance added, running his hand through Keith’s soft, black hair. “He’s a lot nicer than regular Keith.”

“Fuck off,” Keith said in between laughs. 

“Pidge,” Lance said, turning toward them, “Your turn.”

“Oh shit,” Pidge started. “Well, one morning, I was running around my house trying to find decent underwear, because all of mine were dirty (my parents were out of town, and my brother and I are lazy asses, so we didn’t do the laundry). So I finally ended up finding a pair, but they were the bring pink ones with Dora the Explorer all over the them - the same ones I REFUSED to throw away because for some God damned reason I loved them when I was like 6. So I put those one, knowing that no one would see them, and Matt and I head over to the mall. While we were there, I got so distracted by the new _Mario’s_ store that had opened that I wasn’t watching where were I was going. My pants got caught on one of those public benches, and I was running so fast towards the store, that my jeans ripped right down the middle, exposing Dora in all of her glory. So I went home, did the laundry, and burned the Spanish Explorer to the ground.”

“Oh my God, I remember Matt telling me about that!” Shiro said, laughing at the memory. 

Pidge rolled their eyes. “Yeah well Matt tells everyone everything,” they said. Then Pidge smirked. “Though I can recall one particular thing Matt never mentioned.”

Shiro paled. “You wouldn’t.”

“You know damn well that I would.”

“Pidge,” Shiro said warningly. 

Pidge giggled. 

“What?” Lance asked, eager to hear more. “What is it?” 

“Pidge don’t you dare-”

“Shiro and Matt used to be fuck buddies before he met Allura.”

“What?!” Lance was shocked. “You had sex with her brother?!”

_“Their,”_ Shiro corrected, an apparent blush on his cheeks. “I had sex with _their_ brother. That was before Matt decided to join his father in the study of Astrophysics. Then Keith became my roommate, and I met Allura.”

“Whoa whoa whoa slow down buddy,” Lance said, “You don’t have sex with _all_ your roommates, do you? Should I be worried?”

Shiro covered his face with his hands.

“It was _two years ago._ We were horny, late teenagers who couldn’t get laid, okay? Just back off-”

Pidge was now chuckling under their breath again, and Lance couldn’t help but think of what an amazing life he had ahead of him. Dating the most beautiful man in the world, and having the funniest, most talented friends he could ever ask for. He could certainly get used to hanging out around here, talking and laughing with Pidge, asking for dating advice with Shiro, modelling with Allura, and spending all his free time with Keith. 

Yes. He could certainly get used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whatcha think of everyone's story? I like Lance's the best XD  
> Thoughts on Shiro and Matt's /sexual/ history?


	19. "I Love You"

**HornyLilCuban: Hey sorry, I lost track of time, and we ended up falling asleep during the movie.**

**#1BearHugs: LANCE! Thank goodness, I was starting to worry.**

**#1BearHugs: You’re okay, right? And you got breakfast? How’s Keith? Amazing as usual? ;)**

**HornyLilCuban: Yes Hunk haha he’s amazing. He’s also a really good cuddler X3**

**#1BearHugs: . . . you guys behaved yourself, right?**

**HornyLilCuban: Oh my God, YES MOTHER. Nothing happened. Like, at all.**

**HornyLilCuban: In fact I’m actually a lil disappointed, but I guess it’s fine. I’ll kiss that beautiful boy sooner or later.**

**#1BearHugs: That’s cute Lance! <3 I remember when all you wanted to do was tangle tongues with people and get your penis in someone else's pants. It’s nice to know you’re a little mature now. **

**HornyLilCuban: God, I wasn’t THAT bad!**

**#1BearHugs: . . . Remember that movie bathroom incident?**

**HornyLilCCuban: BYE.**

Lance laughed at the texts he had received from his roommate. 

“Who are you talking to?” Keith wondered, getting ready to drive Lance back to his own apartment. He had on a black leather jacket, silly fingerless gloves, ripped jeans and a simple red v-neck. 

_God, my boyfriend’s a badass._ Lance thought with a smile. “Just talking to Hunk. Letting him know why I’m so late coming home.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Keith awkwardly apologized. 

“You’re fine,” Lance said, waving a hand dismissively. “Besides, Hunk’s not even that worried. And I had a really fun time last night. And this morning. You have a really nice apartment. I’m wondering why you never invited me over sooner.” Raising an eyebrow at Keith, Lance allowed a smirk to cross over his features. 

Keith shrugged. “Maybe it’s because I’m living there illegally.” And with that, he lifted his leg over and slid onto his motorcycle. 

Lance blinked. 

“Wait. Seriously?!” Casually taking his seat behind Keith, Lance made sure his helmet was on tight, then wrapped his long arms around Keith’s warm chest. 

“Uhh, yeah,” Keith said, sounding like he didn’t really want to explain. “I was expelled from the Garrison. I’m technically not supposed to be living in their dorms, but Shiro let me stay. No one really knows but him, Allura, Nyma and now you.”

“Expelled?” Lance wondered aloud. “What for?

Keith roared the engine to life, quickly pulling out of the parking lot with no further explanation.

Deciding he’d ask later, Lance tightened his grip on Keith’s waist, holding him as close to himself as he dared. 

Keith smelled like his _Cool Rush_ deodorant, as well as something else that Lance couldn’t quite place. Hazelnut, maybe? He wasn’t sure, but he loved it. 

Smiling, Lance couldn’t stop himself from thinking about how lucky he was. 

Keith was his boyfriend.

He had the most amazing, beautiful, badass, butt kicking boyfriend in the world.

He remembered seeing Keith’s smile earlier that morning, after a few sips of wine. He thought of the gorgeous laughter that escaped Keith’s lips. He thought of the cute, surprised look that had flashed over Keith’s face after Lance had hit him with a pillow. He thought about the adorable way Keith chewed his food, and the way his eyes roamed around curiously, soaking in every detail as if he was afraid he’d forget something. He thought of the way Keith’s glasses bent up against Lance’s shoulder, and the way his eyes had peeled open so slowly. He thought of the way Keith spoke. The way his lips moved, like every word that left his mouth had a unique and definite purpose. Lance thought of the way Keith blushed so beautifully, the tints of pink and red bringing color to his cheeks and nose. He thought of the way Keith walked - hands in his pockets and eyes downcast, as if he had nothing better to look at besides his shoes and the cracks in the cement. 

He thought of all those things, with Keith in his arms, and he whispered, “Keith . . . I think I’m in love with you.”

Lance wasn’t expecting a response. The wind was whipping passed them so fast that Lance was positive Keith hadn’t even heard his confession. 

It was just perfect. Those words felt so right slipping out of his mouth. 

So perfect, in fact, that he repeated it. 

“Keith . . . I love you.”

And he giggled. 

He held Keith as close to him as he could. He held on with so much adoration and appreciation, and he said it again, a little louder this time. 

“I love you, Keith. I love you.”

Lance laughed, a strange, addicting feeling spreading throughout his chest and swelling in his heart. 

He had known this for a few weeks. He knew that he was in love. But it was a completely different thing to say it aloud. 

“I’m in love.” Lance said to himself, his eyes focused on the back of Keith’s head as his hair whipped through the wind. 

It was an accelerating thing, love.

More so than the vehicle underneath them, or the racing of a roller coaster at high speed. More so than free-falling in the open sky, or the shock of electricity that sparked through one’s veins when they became reckless around frayed wires. 

It was glorious, and Lance was instantly addicted. 

“God I love you.” He said once more, just for good measure.

He had been giggling the entire ride home, and when they finally parked and hopped off the bike, Keith asked, “What were you laughing at the whole time?”

Lance shrugged innocently, planting a quick kiss on Keith’s cheeks, the way boyfriends do. 

“Nothin’.” He lied joyfully.

That beautiful blush returned to Keith’s cheeks, and Lance was tempted to kiss him again. 

So he did. Cuz that’s what boyfriends do. 

“Lance-!” Keith flailed, his face only growing redder. “Y-you can’t just DO THAT-”

Lance giggled. “Of course I can. Because we’re dating now. And that’s what boyfriends do. They plant kisses all over to embarrass each other.” Lance grinned proudly. “And guess what? It’s working.”

Keith rolled his eyes, but there was a smile on his lips. “Whatever. Just . . . give me a warning next time, will ya?”

“No promises.” Lance winked, then casually slid his hand into Keith’s. “You gonna come in for a while? We could probably get some more things crossed off our list.”

“Yeah, sure,” Keith agreed, “I don’t think I have anything planned for today anyway.”

“Sweet!” 

The two young men waltzed into Lance’s apartment, hand in hand. As they walked in, Lance waved at Hunk, who was sitting on the couch with Shay. As Lance’s roommate looked up at the couple, his eyes fell on their intertwined hands. 

“Cute,” was all he said. 

“Right back at’cha, big guy,” Lance said, making a finger gun in Shay’s direction and dropping a wink at Hunk. 

Shay started to fluster about (poor her and her social awkwardness), and Hunk just smiled over at his girlfriend.

“We’ll be in our room,” Lance called as he dragged Keith into their bedroom.

“Alright,” Hunk said, “Just don’t do anything dirty. And if you do, clean it up.”

“Don’t worry,” Lance teased, “I’ll aim for my bed, not yours.”

“Oh my-”

“Lance-” Keith interjected with a small laugh. “That is so gross.”

“Chill babe, I’m only kidding,” Lance reassured. Then, “Unless you want to make a mess?” He wiggled his eyebrows at his boyfriend suggestively. 

Keith stood still for a moment, and for a second, Lance actually thought they were going to start sprinting to third base.

Then Keith smashed a pillow into Lance's face.


	20. A Snowman

Packing the snow tightly into his fist, Lance kept himself hidden behind his makeshift barricade, a mischievous smirk resting on his purpling lips. He couldn’t wait to see the look of surprise on Keith’s face after he smashed a snowball right between his eyes. 

Trying to keep his giggles quiet, he heard his boyfriend from just a few feet away. 

“Lance? What the hell-? Where did you go?! Lance . . . ?” Keith sighed, obviously used to Lance’s childish behavior by now. “I put the scarf on. Are we done? I mean, he looks a little lopsid- AHH!”

Keith shrieked as Lance hurled the snowball at him.

Lance laughed with glee, watching as chunks of snow splattered all over Keith’s black winter jacket.

“GOT YOU!” He shouted happily. 

“Lance- are you- UGH. Seriously?” Keith complained, bits of snow started to melt in his hair. “I thought we could be mature about this, but I guess not.”

“We’re two 20-year-old homosexuals building a snowman in the front lawn on my apartment - nothing about that is mature, Keith.”

Lance’s boyfriend paused. “I guess you’re right,” He finally said after a while. Then, “So I guess this means we battle?” A wide smirk crossed his lips, and Lance thought about shoving Keith to the ground, landing in a pile of snow and then kissing that smile right off his face. Unfortunately, before Lance could take even a single step forward, Keith had already retaliated. 

Snow sprayed across Lance’s freckled face, instantly making him ten times colder than he already was. 

Gasping dramatically, Lance fell to the ground, where fresh snow had fallen just an hour before. 

Lying motionless, Lance tried his best to hold his breath and not move a muscle. 

“Lance, get up,” Keith said, unfazed.

Slowly allowing his arm to reach up towards the grey sky, Lance gasped for breath. “K-Keith-” He stuttered, “Help . . .”

“I said get up, you big baby.” Keith said in between laughs.

“I . . . I can’t.”

Lance couldn’t see Keith’s face, but he knew his boyfriend had rolled his eyes. 

Feeling Keith kneel down beside him, Lance placed his hand on his boyfriend’s knee. “Keith . . . I don’t think I’m gonna make it . . . g-go . . . go on without me . . .” He rasped theatrically. 

“Lance . . . I’m not going to leave you,” Keith said, finally playing along with Lance’s little drama production. 

“Y-you have to . . . you have to go.”

“No, I won’t. I can help you. Please, there has to be a way.”

“The . . . the only way . . .” Lance carefully opened his eyes to see Keith’s staring down at him. For a moment, Keith actually looked concerned. 

Lance brought his hand up to come to rest on Keith’s cheek, rosy from the cold. 

“The only way,” He repeated, “Is from the kiss of my one true love.”

Keith broke character as he snorted out a laugh, his lips that had once been tight with worry now slipping into a grin. 

“Keith, I’m serious.” Lance said desperately, keeping to his imaginary script. 

Keith nodded. “Sorry-” He chuckled. “I know, I know.”

“Why are you laughing?” Lance choked out, “Why? I’m dying over here, and you’re laughing at my corpse.”

Keith started giggling even harder. “You’re so dramatic.” He said, rolling those gorgeous eyes of his as he dropped Lance’s head unceremoniously back into the snow, then stood to walk away. 

“Wait-” Lance said, breaking character as he propped up on his elbows, “Aren’t you going to kiss me? Keith? We just had a bonding moment! You cradled me in your arms- Keith?”

Unfortunately, Keith just walked back to the snowman the two of them had built earlier, and started to smooth out some of the ruff edges of snow. 

Lance pouted. 

“What’s a guy gotta do around here to get a kiss?” He muttered to himself. 

Keith, who apparently overheard Lance’s comment, responded with, “Well maybe if you weren’t such a weirdo I’d actually kiss you.”

“Well maybe if you weren’t so stubborn I’d have kissed you already.”

Keith looked over his shoulder with the sole purpose to raise a questioning eyebrow at him. 

“Don’t give me that look,” Lance said, getting to his feet, “You know it’s true.”

“Know what’s true? The fact that you want to kiss me, or the fact that I’m stubborn?”

“BOTH.” Lance complained, coming to Keith’s side. The Cuban took a moment to look over the snowman that they’d built, and Keith did the same. 

“I tried to make it look a little better,” Keith said, “But it still looks like shit.”

Lance gasped. “How DARE you?! This is our BABY! We made him together. His name is Pablo, and he is our son!”

“Doesn’t change the fact that he looks like he got run over by the retard police-”

“Keith!” Lance went out of his way to cover the snowman’s head, where his ears would have been, if he had any. “This is exactly why I’m Pablo’s favorite father-”

“You’re an idiot,” Keith breathed out with laughter. 

“Yeah but I’m an adorable idiot, and you love me.”

Keith shrugged. “You’re not wrong.”

Lance’s face lit up with glee. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me, Keith!” Tackling his boyfriend in a ginormous hug, Lance giggled as they landed hard in the snow.

With Lance’s hips resting right atop of Keith’s, and their noses just inches away, the temptation to slam his lips on Keith’s became one hundred times stronger. 

“So,” Lance said seductively, “About that kiss . . .”

Keith’s lips stretched into the prettiest smile Lance had ever laid eyes on. His pupils seemed to expand, creating a massive cave in the deep waters that were his eyes. Lance watched them, entranced, as Keith’s face became bigger. Wait-no. It wasn’t getting bigger. It was getting _closer._

Lance’s heart slammed against his ribcage, beating much faster than a minute ago.  He could feel Keith’s heartbeat, too - thudding against his own. They were completely in sync - one and the same. 

It was glorious. 

Lance tilted his face downward so their lips could finally meet. 

And his face was suddenly freezing as a snowball came crashing into it. 

Keith laughed, wiggling out from under Lance. “You want these lips, you’ll have to come catch ‘em!” He shouted, raising his arms tauntingly. 

“Okay. Ha Ha. Very funny Keith. I know this is just payback for the other night, but seriously? I was really looking forward to that.” Lance continued lying in the snow, defeated. 

“Yeah,” Keith said, now a little more serious, “So was I. I guess we’re both disappointed.” 

“Keith?” Lance asked after a moment of silence.

“What?”

“I’m sorry.”

Keith paused. “For what?”

“For not being good at this. For not knowing how to just _go for it_. For not being able to be a good boyfriend. I’m sorry I can’t be mature. I’m sorry I’m not the best person I could be. Sorry for not kissing you when I had the chance. Sorry for not taking things seriously. For being . . . me. I’m sorry.”

Keith slowly took a seat next to Lance in the snow. 

“Lance. Please don’t apologize.”

“Why not? I don’t feel like I’m good enough for you-”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Keith asked, sounding incredulous. “Of course you are! In fact, you’re better. I-” His voice faltered. “I’ve never really had anyone who cared about me other than my mother. And, even then . . . she hasn’t been there for me. Ever. So . . . please don’t apologize. Because if you feel like you’ve been doing something wrong . . . then that makes me feel like I’ve been doing _everything_ wrong. I’ve never been in a serious relationship before, and if I’m being completely honest . . . I’m terrified.” Keith hugged his knees close to his chest, closing in on himself like a turtle that felt it was in danger. “I’m scared that you’ll leave. And when you say things like that- When you say you don’t feel adequate . . . that sounds like you’re leaving.”

“No,” Lance said firmly, “No, I’m not leaving. I won’t ever leave-”

“But how can I know that?” Keith asked. “How can I know for sure, that you’ll stay? Everyone else left. I feel so alone . . .”

Somewhere in the back of Lance’s mind, an idea sparked to life. He found himself smiling even though Keith seemed to be deflating. 

“Keith,” Lance said with a new wave of energy flowing through his veins, “Why don’t we go inside, have some coffee, and then build a blanket fort? My family’s coming to visit tomorrow, and . . . I want you to meet them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh. Not proud of this chapter, but whatever. Here ya go.


	21. Coffee and Paint

“Let me guess: You’re a plain, black coffee kinda guy,” Lance said, planted behind the kitchen counter. With the smug look on his face, confidence sparkling in his eyes and the stance he had taken, he looked like every stereotypical bartender. Especially when Keith had taken a seat on one of the barstools and was waiting for Lance to mix up his cup of coffee. 

Keith huffed out a laugh. “Really?”

“Yes really, Mr. Gumpy Fuck. The coffee you drink is probably just as bitter as you are. So . . . One black for my number one customer?”

Keith shook his head with a smile. “Could you make a Caramel Hazelnut, by chance?”

Lance blinked. “Well fuck- I never would guess _that!_ One Caramel Hazelnut comin’ up.”

“And . . .” Keith went out on a whim and guessed Lance’s favorite coffee flavor. “A White Chocolate Mocha for you?”

Lance perked up like Keith had just demonstrated the greatest magic trick to ever come into existence. 

“Are you a psychic or something?” He said. “How- How did you know that?”

Keith shrugged. “I just assumed your coffee flavor was as sweet as you are.” Then, as soon as Keith realized what he had said, his brain seemed to malfunction and he broke down. 

A blush started creeping across Lance’s cheeks, adorning the freckles that crossed the bridge of his nose. 

“Did you just . . . _flirt_ with me?!” He wondered, his face as red as Keith had ever seen it. 

It was cute, really. 

Keith made a mental note to flirt with Lance more often. That is, after he gained enough confidence to do something so horrific as _flirting._

“Uhh . . . yes?” Keith said, unsure. “I did. I- I think I did.”

Lance placed both his hands on his chest, right over his heart. “Do you feel this?” He said dramatically. “This pulse. These beats. It’s all for you, Keith.”

Now it was Keith’s turn to blush. _God, that was sappy as fuck- So . . . WHY IS IT WORKING?!_ Keith made a noise that sounded something similar to a dying whale. 

Lance laughed, and Keith’s heart seemed to melt down his stomach and sink into his toes. 

“Alright, pretty boy. One Caramel Hazelnut and a White Chocolate Mocha on the way.”

Keith let out a breath as soon as Lance turned his back to prepare their coffee. He felt so . . . _warm._ It was weird. Unnatural. A foreign feeling. It was . . . nice.

Keith found himself smiling despite Lance’s terrible singing as he brewed a cup of coffee for his boyfriend. He recognized the song as one that they overplay on the radio, and although Keith hated the original, it seemed ten times better coming out of Lance’s mouth. 

_Anything would be ten times better coming out of his mouth,_ Keith absentmindedly thought, his eyes soaking in the image of his boyfriend. 

_Boyfriend._ The word rang in his ears, resonating through his mind and echoing about in his thoughts. Lance was his _boyfriend._

After about three minutes of staring at Lance (not his ass, of course, because that would be immature and stupid, pfft), Keith stretched out over the counter to grab his hot cup of coffee from his host, who was currently teasing him by keeping the mug just out of reach. 

“It’s too hot right now, you’ll burn your tongue-”

“Well so are you, but that wouldn’t stop me from drinking you.”

Lance flushed, quietly setting the cup of coffee down on the table. 

Keith giggled with delight, loving how much his words and actions could affect his boyfriend. Happily wrapping his pale fingers around the mug, Keith tucked it in closer to his chest, out of Lance’s reach. 

“That- That’s not fair-” Lance said.

“Sure it is,” Keith said, lightly blowing into the mug, “You flirt all the time.”

“Yeah but not like _that!_ ”

Keith raised a thick eyebrow up at Lance, eyes peeking over the rim of his mug. “Like what?” He asked innocently. 

“Like _that!_ ” Lance exclaimed, cheeks blaring an even brighter red as he jabbed a finger at Keith’s face. 

Keith giggled, just to see how much of a reaction he could get out of Lance. 

_Shrieking._ Lance _shrieked._

His long arms came flying up to cover his face as he curled in on himself. “That’s not fair! Why are you so CUTE?!?!”

Keith shrugged. “I’m really not, you’re just over exaggerating.”

Lance glared at him through tan fingers. “Yes you are, shut the fuck up.”

Keith obliged. Instead of speaking, he took a sip of his coffee, immediately regretting it as the hot liquid scorched his tongue. He yelped, nearly spewing it all over the counter, and now it was Keith’s turn to cover his face in embarrassment. 

“I TOLD you it was too hot!”

Minutes later, the two men were cuddled up on the couch, sipping their coffee that had (thankfully) cooled off enough to drink. Through the main window, Keith could see the disfigured snowman that they had built together. He was wearing Keith’s red scarf and one of Lance’s blue baseball hats. Keith had thought that a little contradictory, but it was the only hat Lance owned. He had talked excitedly about the baseball team he was on in Middle School. He told Keith that back then, Lance informed people that his Mama forced him to play, when in reality, he just wanted to see Jackson Crawford’s ass in those tight pants. Lance had actually quit after the first quarter of the season because he realized that he sucked as baseball. 

After Keith asked if Lance had gotten into any other sports, Lance launched into his soccer stories. Turns out, he was a lot better with a soccer ball than a baseball. The way he spoke about soccer made Keith smile. The way his eyes lit up when he recalled scoring the winning goal, and the way he used his hands to recreate the scene as best as possible from his stationary seat on the couch. 

“What about you?” Lance asked after finishing another soccer story, “Did you play any sports?”

Keith snorted. “Of course not,” He said, “I was more into mechanics and art. Spent most of my free time in the shop, or in my room doodling.”

“Art, huh?” Lance smiled, taking another sip of his coffee. Keith had taken it out of his hands and set it on the table in front of him while he was telling his story so he wouldn’t spill it everywhere, but now it was back in his grip. Keith made a mental note to watch his cup so he didn’t fling any coffee around the room when he got excited. “You’re an artist? That’s awesome! What do you draw? Do you paint? Do you use charcoal, or just pencils? Oil paints?”

“Whoa there, one question at a time, okay?” Keith chuckled, setting his mug down on the coffee table. “Uhh, yeah. I use a lot of different mediums. I like to experiment with a lot, so my art’s kinda all over the place. Lately though, I’ve been more into street art.”

Lance paused, until a smirk crossed his lips. “You mean . . . illegal art?”

Keith gushed. “Well . . . yeah- I mean, I don’t actually paint on public walls and stuff, but I have a lot of design sketches. I thought maybe if I could get enough money, I could travel around and just . . . paint.”

Keith couldn’t help but feel a little insecure as Lance just sat there, smiling at him. He wondered briefly if he had something stuck in his teeth.

Then Lance spoke. 

It wasn’t exactly a comment that Keith had predicted, and it took him completely by surprise. He wondered how Lance had connected the dots so quickly.

“That’s why you were expelled from the Garrison.” There was a twinkle in his eyes. Keith couldn’t quite place it, but it seemed like either curiosity, respect or admiration. Perhaps all three. “That was you. The art, on the side of the building. God, that was _you?!_ ”

Keith absentmindedly scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “Uhh . . . yes?”

Lance’s arms flailed upward, and instinctively, Keith snatched away his mug before Lance flung it across the room. 

“I SAW THAT! THAT WAS THE COOLEST THING EVER OH MY GOD! _YOU’RE_ THE ARTIST?! KEITH! YOU’RE AMAZING!” Lance practically lept to his feet, the widest grin plastered to his face. “I HAVE PICTURES! I took pictures on my phone, hang on-” Lance galloped off, nearly tripping over Keith’s feet as he hurried over to the kitchen counter, where he had left his phone when they left the apartment to play in the snow. 

“Oh no,” Keith muttered, not wanting to see the painting he had splayed over the side of the University he was expelled from. He knew exactly what it was, and he had put a lot of thought into the project before going through with it. Of course, he had been angry at the time. Angry because the Garrison wouldn't fund the art students for the end of the year project. All the money that had been put aside for the artists were used instead for the sports teams, and that pissed Keith off. 

He had tried reasoning with Iverson, the headmaster of the University, but was met with nothing but harsh excuses and a rude gesture that led him out the front door of his office. Iverson had based his defenses on the fact that ‘there was no real talent in the artist’s wing.’ So, in retaliation, Keith showed him just what he could do. 

And he painted it on the side of the college’s exterior walls. He smeared paint over Iverson’s office, weeks after their little ‘incident.’ 

Now, Keith was staring at the artwork that had defaced the building. He was staring at the walls of the Garrison, before he was expelled, and before they painted over it. He stared at the eyes of every art student, scowling in disapproval. There was Rachel Sperse, with her wiry red hair, the shoulders of her yellow flannel shirt and paint smudges on her freckled cheeks. There was Darcy Goodman, her dark eyes portraying betrayal as her black dreadlocks rolled down her shoulders. Jonathan Monroe, with his electric blue eyes and shockingly light blonde hair. There was Cassidy Jacobs, with her usual tight ponytail and light, almost non-existent makeup. 12 more faces scowled over at the football field, which had recently been redone with the money that was supposed to go towards the art students. Keith was one of them, his Prussian Blue eyes narrowed with anger, yet shimmering with revenge. 

Keith stared at the message he had left on Iverson’s desk. Not even bothering to use a paper and pen, Keith had carelessly smeared his fingers, dipped in red paint, over the top of his desk after shoving everything else off of it. The message read, _I hope you didn’t use all our money for your little ‘sports program.’ You’ll be needing a few extra bucks to fix this mess, you fucking piece of ungrateful shit :)_

Of course, Iverson knew it had been him, but it was amazing to roam the halls of the University the next day, watching people’s reaction, smiling at the paintings that he had been working on the entire night before. I was glorious to see the effect his artwork had on the students, and the amount of support that went to the art students afterwards was incredible. 

Too bad Keith wasn’t there to participate in the final project. 

Though, in a way, he did. It was the last thing he painted before he was kicked out of the Garrison for vandalism. He was nearly sentenced a couple years behind bars for defacing such a ‘magnificent school,’ but Keith got lucky when the Art teacher put his foot down and defended him. 

In the end, he got away with a fee (that he still needed to pay off, mind you), and expulsion. 

“I thought it was beautiful,” Lance said, still flipping through the photos on his phone. “I had always been so curious as to who it was. I wondered who would have enough balls to do something so-”

“Stupid?” Keith wondered aloud.

“No,” Lance said, eyes shimmering with adoration as they lifted from his phone screen to soak in Keith’s image. “I was going to say valiant.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo this chapter ended up being a lot longer than I thought it would be, so I split it up into 2(ish). Sort of. I guess. I dunno, I'm just awkward. ANYWAY, part 2(???) will come soon. Feel free to point out any errors, I value your opinions! LOVE YOU ALL, and I'm go glad you're enjoying! All the comments I've gotten so far have been positive, and that makes me unbelievable happy. You're so amazing, and I hope you all know I'm writing this FOR YOU. YES. YOU.


	22. Blankets and Tickles

“No, over there-”  
   
“Where-?”  
   
_“There!’_  
   
“Lance, I can’t see where you’re pointing-”  
   
“Ugh-” Lance poked his head out from behind the couch, a blue blanket clasped in his hands. “Over there,” He said again, pointing to the television. “Put it under the TV so it’ll stay up. We have to use our clips sparingly - I don’t have a whole lot.” Disappearing back behind the couch, taking the blanket with him, Keith was left on his own. Facing the TV screen, Keith dragged one of the blankets with him, tucking one side of it carefully under the television frame to keep it in place. Maneuvering around the other side of the blanket, Keith grabbed the two loose corners, then plucked up a clothespin to clip it tightly to the base of a portable beach chair.  
   
He didn’t have much experience building blanket forts, but Lance insisted that he had done this hundreds of times with his little siblings. He claimed to be an expert, and, having nothing to go off of, Keith agreed, obliging to all of Lance’s orders and suggestions.  
   
“Okay,” Keith said, crawling under the suspended blanket to get over to the couch, where Lance was setting up another ceiling for their fort. “Now what?” Keith asked.  
   
He headed toward the sound of Lance’s breathing and struggling, finding his boyfriend reaching up to the window with the corner of a blanket, the opposite side of the comforter pinned under his bare toes.  
   
Keith chuckled at the sight. “What the hell are you doing?”  
   
“Help-”  
   
Keith shook his head in unbelief, taking hold of the corner under Lance’s foot. “Where do you want it?”  
   
“Just- hold it for a minute.” Lance stumbled up to his feet, pulling the blanket taut between them, then placing it on the window shelf, keeping it in place with one of his old High School text books. “Ah! There we go. I think we’re done.” Lance scanned the front room proudly. Keith, awkwardly managing to get to his feet beside his boyfriend, also took in the sight. Patches of color and patterns were placed strategically about the room, forging together to create the little blanket house they had built.  
   
“Wow. You sure it’s big enough?” Keith asked sarcastically.  The two of them had used every blanket in the apartment that they could find - including the one Shay had left accidentally a few weeks prior.  
   
“Well it’s not nearly as big as the castle I designed with my little sister. That one had a balcony, it was sick.”  
   
“You’re ridiculous,” Keith laughed.  
   
“Yeah, but you love it.”  
   
Lance disappeared into the fort without another word, forcing Keith to follow. Searching about inside the fort, Keith made about three twists and turns, wondering where the hell he could have gone, when the lights went out.  
   
Keith stopped.  
   
The power didn’t go out . . . did it?  
   
“Lance . . . ?” Keith called out into the dark.  
   
And then he was there. Keith could eventually make out his silhouette as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He was grinning.  
   
“What?” Lance asked innocently.  
   
“Did you just turn off the lights?”  
   
“Yeah, it’s funner with flashlights. Look.” A light flicked on in between them, and Keith shielded his eyes for a brief moment before looking toward Lance, his cheekbones defined beautifully by the flashlight in his hands.  
   
Lance wiggled his eyebrows. “Wanna share some scary stories?”  
   
Keith raised an eyebrow at him in question. “But . . . why?”  
   
“Umm, because it’s _fun,_ Keith.” Lance deadpanned.  
   
Keith shrugged. “Sure?”  
   
“Okay cool,” Lance said, “But first I really gotta take a piss.”  
   
“Oh my God-” Keith chuckled, watching the light strobe on and off as it was masked from his view by Lance’s body. His boyfriend left the fort, presumably headed to the bathroom, and Keith was once again let alone in the dark.  
   
After a few milliseconds, Keith got bored. Crawling out of the fort to explore Lance’s apartment on his own, Keith roamed down the hallway. It wasn’t as dark when he wasn’t under the shade of all the heavy blankets, and he could see a lot better out here. Drifting into Lance and Hunk’s shared bedroom, Keith glanced about, wondering which side of the room Lance occupied.  
   
Then, when he noticed all the Star Wars posters plastered up on the wall, he snorted.  
   
“Nerd,” He muttered under his breath.  
   
Then again, he didn’t have much rights when it came to saying that about others. He was the one with framed Spider-Man comics, an obvious fraudulent depiction of the ‘Moon Landing’ on the back of his door, Superhero posters and Triforce-print boxers.  
   
_I spend_ way _too much time at Hot Topic,_ Keith thought to himself as his eyes took in the sight of Lance’s room.  
   
He had been standing in this room just a couple hours before, right after they finished their coffee. Lance insisted they get as comfortable as possible before they started building their fort, and that included stripping down to Keith’s simple black briefs (He had changed out of his Zelda ones before - _just in case_ ), and borrowing one of Lance’s white and blue baseball T-shirts that hung a little loosely on his frame. Keith had complained that it was too big, when in all honestly, he loved it.  
   
It smelled like Lance, and it was comfortable.  
   
Keith wished he could wear it every day.  
   
Lance was wearing his blue boxers and a simple white T-shirt. Keith had wondered how someone could look _so damn good_ in just a shirt and boxers.  
   
While staring at one of the Star Wars posters, Keith was surprised when Lance poked his fingers into his sides.  
   
Yelping, Keith nearly leaped through the ceiling. “Ahh- Wha- LANCE!” Keith fumed.  
   
Lance looked like he was about to apologize with a not-very-apologetic-smile, but then he smirked.  
   
“Keith . . .” He started, “Are you ticklish?”  
   
Keith’s eyes widened.  
   
_Fuck._  
   
“No,” He squeaked, “Of course not.”  
   
Lance wiggled his fingers in the air, bringing them closer to his boyfriend. Keith tried not to flinch away.  
   
“I don’t believe you,” Lance said pridefully, then attacked.  
   
Keith shrieked as Lance’s fingers flew across his pale skin. Within three seconds, he was crumpled up on the floor in a fetal position, unwanted giggles escaping his lips.  
   
“LANCE- STOP Hahaha- STOP IT!”  
   
Lance cackled in victory, making no attempt to halt his actions.  
   
“LANCE, I MEAN IT- hah- stop . . . STOP IT!”  
   
Keith pathetically tried to smack Lance’s arm away, but that just exposed a new part of his body that Lance could tickle.  
   
His armpit.  
   
Keith screamed, flinching in on himself, a huge grin on his face that he couldn’t get rid of.  
   
Before he knew it, he was thrown over Lance’s shoulder and being carried away into the front room. “Lance, put me down!” Keith laughed, lightly smacking his boyfriend’s back. “Where are you taking me?”  
   
“Into our beautiful blanket castle, so I don’t have to see your painfully gorgeous smile when I tickle you in the dark-”  
   
“LANCE!” Keith yelped as his boyfriend set him down inside their blanket fort, then continued to torment him with his fingers.  
   
At one point, Keith tried to fling himself out of the fort to flee, and instead ended up kicking over one of the chairs that held up a blanket.  
   
Their fort came crashing down on them, static sparking about Keith’s hair as a blanket smeared over his head.  
   
Somewhere within the confines, Lance howled with laughter. “You are TOO ticklish!” He shouted with glee.  
   
Keith grumbled under his breath, irritated with Lance, but also giddy when hearing his laugh.  
   
_Ugh, I’m too gay for this-_ Keith thought, struggling to get the blanket off of him. When he saw the pinpricks of light, Keith practically hurled the blanket upward to get out of the fort, but it wasn’t outside light that he had seen. It was Lance’s flashlight.  
   
Keith huffed.  
   
Lance laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to tickle you anymore . . . for now.”  
   
“Lance,” Keith said warningly.  
   
Lance shrugged innocently.  
   
With the blanket lying over the top of them, creating a sort of tent, the two of them were illuminated by Lance’s light.  
   
They were sitting a lot closer than Keith originally thought.  
   
In such proximity, Keith could see the length of Lance’s dark eyelashes, fluttering over his skin when he blinked. He could see silver specks in his eyes that he had never noticed before. He admired the freckles adorning Lance’s pointed nose, and the flush of his cheeks from laughter. He noticed the way Lance’s eyes crinkled up alluringly  when he smiled wide, and the way his lips parted as he breathed out. He relished in the beauty of not only Lance’s features, but the air about him. It was so light. It was welcoming and warm.  
   
It felt like home.  
   
Well, what home _should’ve_ felt like.  
   
It was something Keith had never experienced before.  
   
But in this moment, he decided one thing.  
   
He loved it.  
   
And before Keith’s mind could tell his body to stop, his hands were gently cupping Lance’s smooth cheeks. Neck tilted upward, and eyes fluttering shut, he lightly pressed his lips to Lance’s.  
   
It wasn’t a desperate kiss.  
   
It wasn’t hungry, like it was with Rolo.  
   
This kiss was innocent.  
   
It was perfect.  
   
It was a kiss that sent sparks of flame dancing down Keith’s spine, lighting his veins and igniting something in his heart he didn’t know he had.  
   
It was a kiss that warmed him down to the bone, more than the coffee he could taste on Lance’s lips ever could.  
   
It was a kiss that brought everything into perspective, and showed Keith exactly what he had been missing all these years.  
   
It was a kiss that made him realize he was in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm screaming. Are you?


	23. The McClain's

By the time Keith broke the kiss off, his glasses were a little fogged up, and he was out of breath.  
   
“Whoa . . .” Lance muttered in awe.  
   
Keith took in a deep breath, his heart pounding faster than ever. “Whoa is right,” He said, a smile coming, unbidden, to his lips that still tasted strongly of Lance.  
   
“That was-” Lance started, “I-I don’t know what it was. It was . . . everything. God, it was amazing. You’re one hell of a kisser, Keith.”  
   
Keith snickered, hoping he hid his blush well enough for his boyfriend not to see. “Yeah, well, so are you.”  
   
“Aww, thanks, babe,” Lance said, then winked at Keith, the flashlight still illuminating his face like an angel descending from heaven.  
   
Keith shoved Lance away playfully. “Whatever, you dork.”  
   
The two laughed for a special, irreplaceable moment. In those beautiful seconds, Keith felt lighter than ever. He opened his mouth to speak those three magical words, but they caught in his throat.  
   
What would it mean to Lance, if he told him he loved him?  
   
Would Lance panic? Would he say he loved him, too?  
   
Closing his mouth, Keith just allowed himself to smile, trying to push aside the worry that was churning in his stomach. After a few seconds of silence, Lance spoke.  
   
“Keith?”  
   
The pale boy took in another deep breath. “Yeah?”  
   
“I hope you’re ready to meet my family, because they’re quite the circus.”  
   
Keith laughed, part of him sighing in relief, and the other shattering with disappointment. He thought that maybe, if Lance said it first, it would be easier for him to say it. He could let those words spill from his mouth, and he wouldn’t have to be terrified of the outcome, because Lance had already confirmed his feelings. But not now. Now they were talking about the McClain family.  
   
Keith shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out just how prepared I am when I actually meet them.”  
   
Lance seemed to consider this for a moment. “Alright,” He said simply, “Just don’t be surprised if my niece and nephew tackle you to the ground within the first three seconds you’re in my house.”  
   
   
   
Lance was right. His family was _insane._  
   
Within five minutes of stepping into the McClain’s household, Keith was hiding in the bathroom trying not to have a panic attack.  
   
_This_ was his boyfriend’s family?!  
   
Upon arrival, Lance had tried to mentally prepare Keith for what chaos would ensue once they stepped through the door.  
   
“Amalia is a tad homophobic, so she probably won't even speak to you. That’s good, because if she did, she’d only be talking shit. That being said, she takes after my dad.” Lance had sighed, visibly tense. “He doesn’t exactly approve of the choices I’ve made, and the people I’ve dated. He believes bisexuality isn’t a real concept, but he’s not as bad as my abuela. She’s the one you really need to worry about. Just . . . try not to do anything too gay around her. She’s insane. Neo’s really cool about the whole thing, so he won’t be a problem. He might tease, but that’s the worst that’ll come out of him. My mama’s really sweet and accepting, so I’m sure she’ll love you. Zoe and Sofia take after her, so they won’t be a problem, either. Mason, Sofia’s husband, is also understanding. He hasn’t made his views on gay marriage and other LGBT+ things known, so he may be a wild card. Their kids though, Ramira and Anto, are just adorable and innocent. They’ll love you, no matter what their dad says. And . . . that should be it.”  
   
And with that, Lance had knocked on the front door.  
   
Keith gulped.  
   
There were a few shouts on the other side of the door. A mother yelling at her kids, grandchildren giggling, someone shouting to get the door.  
   
It then opened up to reveal an older looking Lance. Bright blue eyes, a masculine build, the startings of a mustache and messy bed head.  
   
“Lance!” The man shouted happily, bringing him into a hug, “Glad you could make it.”  
   
Lance welcomed the embrace with a chuckle. “Hey Neo, good to see you.”  
   
_Okay,_ Keith thought, _So this is Neo. I can calm down. He’s cool._  
   
“And who’s this?” Neo asked suggestively, eyes taking in Keith’s frame. The way his eyes roamed over his body made Keith feel a little insecure, but then Lance draped an arm casually over his shoulders. “This is Keith, my boyfriend.” Lance introduced, and Keith almost choked.  
   
Was he going to introduce him to _everyone _as his boyfriend?!__  
   
Neo’s face lit up like fireworks on the 4th of July. “Ahh. Keith, huh? Well, nice to meet you. I’m Neo, Lance’s favorite biological brother.” Neo playfully pulled Lance into a wrestling hold, messing up his little brother’s hair.  
   
“You’re my _only_ biological brother,” Lance said, twisting out of Neo’s grip with a laugh.  
   
Neo shrugged. “You’re not wrong.” He then turned to Keith. “But hey, you better stick close to Lance. Amaria’s friends are here, and they’re looking for prey. No doubt they’ll try hitting on a hot guy such as yourself.” Neo winked, and Lance lightly punched him in the arm.  
   
“Neo, you’re straight, stop hitting on my boyfriend. And . . . are they really here?”  
   
“I’m afraid so.”  
   
“Shit,” Lance breathed. Then, “Which ones?”  
   
Neo thought for a moment. “Catherine - the weird ginger, Bekah - the one with the glasses, Payton - the misfit, and Abby - the one who tried to kiss you at my 21st birthday party.”  
   
“Ugh,” Lance groaned.  
   
Neo shrugged, “It’ll be alright. Besides, I think Abby’s got a boyfriend, Payton’s a lesbian, and Catherine is over her strange _Muscle Magazine_ phase. Also, Bekah’s pretty normal-”  
   
“Wait wait wait,” Lance cut in, “Did you say Payton’s a lesbian?” He paused, as if this was the strangest thing to ever be revealed to him. “Amaria is friend’s with a lesbian?”  
   
Neo checked over his shoulder, probably making sure no one inside the house could hear their conversation. He then turned back to Lance. “I don’t think Amaria _knows.”_  
   
“Well shit,” Lance said, a grin spreading over his face. “Can’t wait till she finds out blows her top off.” Lance chuckled, but Neo looked a little worried.  
   
There was a shout from somewhere inside the house.  
   
“Neo, who’s at the door?!”  
   
Neo shouted over his shoulder, “It’s Lance, Mama!”  
   
“Well then tell him to get inside! You’re letting bugs in, _mijo!”_  
   
“Yes, Mama!” Neo lead the two young men inside, closing the door behind them. “Welcome to Hell,” He announced.  
   
“Language.”  
   
Lance’s mother waddled out of the kitchen area, an apron tight about her plump waist. She had dark skin, dotted with age, but also smooth looking and taken care of. She had a sweet smile, and a twinkle in her eye that suggested warmth and safety.  
   
Keith instantly liked her.  
   
She wrapped her son up in an embrace, smiling into Lance’s chest, as she stood many inches shorter than him. The scene before him made him rather homesick himself, and he wondered for a brief second if his mother ever held him like that. Like he was something precious.  
   
He doubted it.  
   
Lance’s mother pulled away from Lance to plant a kiss on his cheek. “It’s wonderful to see you again, Lance. And I see you brought company?”  
   
Lance smiled proudly. “Yup! This is my boyfriend, Keith.” Lance hurried over to Keith’s side to slip his hand into his boyfriend’s, as if to prove the point.  
   
Keith waved awkwardly with his free hand. “Hey,” He said simply.  
   
Lance’s mother smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Keith. I’m Rosa, Lance’s mother.” She held out a hand for Keith to shake after she wiped it off on her apron. Keith stiffly shook her hand.  
   
“Likewise,” He muttered quietly.  
   
It was hard to hear Rosa’s words, as there were kids and teens running around the house like animals that had just escaped from the confines of a zoo cell, making just as much noise.  
   
“Well, Lance,” Rosa spoke, “Why don’t you introduce Keith to the rest of the family? I’m working on dinner, and abuela should be here within the hour.”  
   
“Great,” Lance muttered, not sounding very excited about that. He then turned to Keith with a brilliant smile on his gorgeous lips. “Alright, now it’s my turn to give you a tour.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the super late update, I've been really stressed, what with school ending and all and trying to get my grades up. But now that it's summer for me, I'm back in the game! Hope you liked this new chapter!  
> What do you think of Lance's family?


	24. The Little Ones

“This is the kitchen, as you can see,” Lance said, gesturing wildly about, a grin still plastered on his face. 

_He smiles a lot,_ Keith noted, watching as Lance spun about the kitchen of his home. 

It was strange to be welcomed so warmly into a house he’d never been in (or even seen) before. It made Keith feel like he should already know where everything was, but he didn’t. He felt like he should understand all the rules already, and know everyone within a ten yard radius, but he didn’t. And that made him feel uncomfortable. 

He felt uneducated. Stupid. Like all of the common sense he had stored up in his brain for the past 20 years suddenly leaked out a hole in his head, and now he was left with an empty shell that had no memory of how to move. 

Lance was only giving him the basics. 

There was the kitchen, a small bathroom down the hall, across from Amalia and Zoe’s room, another bedroom down the hall (that was Lance’s). A bathroom upstairs, where Neo’s room was, and a master bathroom connected to Lance’s parent’s bedroom. There was an extra room upstairs that used to be Sofia’s, and Lance told Keith that Zoe had tried taking it for herself, but his father was now using it as a sort of stay-at-home work office. It was a major No Zone.

Knowing where all the major rooms were was nice, but Keith wanted to know the little things, like ‘Where do I stand when I don’t want to talk to people?’ ‘Am I supposed to get my own plate for dinner?’ ‘What if there’s no toilet paper in the bathroom - where would I get another role of it?’ ‘Is there a certain towel I have to use when drying my hands?’ ‘Am I allowed to sit on the important-looking chair?’ and ‘What if your sister’s friends _do_ try hitting on me? What would I do?’

After being escorted around the house, Keith had asked if he could the bathroom.

“Yeah sure, go right ahead. You know where it is. I’ll be in the living room with the little crazies.”

So here he was, staring at himself in the mirror, wondering if there was a stain on the glass, or if that was actually _his_ sweat sliding down his temple. 

It was just a stain, thank God. 

Though he did feel like he was overheating. 

Fanning his face lightly with his hand, Keith tried not to think too much about how the night would ensue once he stepped out of the comfort and safety of the bathroom. 

What if his father hated him? What if Lance’s grandmother scolded him at the dinner table? Would Keith defend him? 

He didn’t know.

Taking a deep breath, Keith ran his fingers through his long, dark hair. 

_You can do this,_ he told himself, _it’s just dinner. You can do this._

Splashing his face with cold water, Keith let his face air dry (too afraid he would pick the wrong towel to dry it off), then stepped out of the bathroom just in time to get slammed into by a small, chubby boy, presumably three or four.

“Anto, watch out!” Lance laughed out a warning, already too late. He came gliding into the hall, sweeping up his nephew in his arms to blow a raspberry into his tummy. 

The little boy giggled, arms flailing about in the air as he shrieked. 

Keith resisted the urge to cover his ears. 

“Lance, puh me down!” He laughed, “I wanna talk ta Keef!”

Anto’s dark brown eyes fell on Keith’s violet ones, and his smile widened, showing off the gap in his teeth and deforming the Spongebob sticker placed on his right cheek. “Keef!” He shrieked, making grabby hands at the young man. 

“Alright alright, calm down,” Lance said, chuckling, “He just got out of the bathroom, and I have to make sure he washed his poop hands before he touches you-”

Keith glared at Lance. 

Lance beamed. 

“Of course I washed my hands, you dumbass-”

“Keith!” Lance yelped, blocking his nephew from view, “There are children present.”

“Is that why you resorted to using potty mouth?”

“Obviously.” Lance grinned.

Anto poked Lance’s nose, nearly shoving three of his fingers up his uncle’s nostril. “Dumass,” He repeated. 

Lance gaped at Keith. “Now look what you’ve done.”

Keith shrugged. “He’s not wrong.” Then Keith playfully poked Lance’s nose. “Dumbass,” he said with a suggestive smirk.

Lance blushed, but quickly recovered. “Keith, seriously, if you keep cursing like a sailor, my mama will force you to eat soap.”

Keith snorted. “I’m sure you know exactly what that tastes like.”

“I do, and it’s awful.” Lance shivered, like just the thought of it made him want to barf. “Anyway,” Lance shoved Anto into Keith’s arms, forcing him to take the little boy, “This is Anto. Anto, this is Keith.”

“Keef!” Anto giggled, then graciously shoved his fingers in Keith’s mouth. 

“Gah- Lance- hey!” Keith shouted after Lance, who was now skipping away with a laugh. “You can’t just leave me with him!”

“Ramiiiiiiraaaaa,” Lance called out in a sing-song voice, “Where’d you go, you lil rascal?”

A high-pitched laugh burst out from behind the couch, and Lance followed it, a victorious grin already spreading over his lips. There was a young couple, engaged in conversation, sitting on the couch. A skinny looking woman with dark, obsidian hair, and a lighter man with blonde beach waves. They seemed like a rather odd-looking couple, but they appeared to be happy. Exhausted, yes, but happy. 

Keith assumed that was Sofia and Mason. 

While Lance cornered Ramira behind the couch and bombarded her with tickles, Anto began demanding to see his mama. 

Keith, not knowing what else to do, cautiously walked over to the couch and made like he was about to put Anto down carefully, afraid he would somehow hurt the little human. 

“Uh- here . . .” He said awkwardly, holding Anto out like a giant teddy bear you would win at a carnival.

Sofia smiled up at Keith, breaking off the conversation she was having with her husband. “Oh, no need to give him to me. I take care of that thing 24/7 when I’m not here. Give ‘im to Lance, he loves the little guys, and I’m in desperate need of a break.”

Keith knew she was joking, but he wasn’t sure if he should laugh. “Alright,” He said stiffly, then waddled over to Lance. 

“Help me,” He whispered. 

Lance beamed up at him, little Ramira now settled on his shoulders. Her dark hair was tyed up in a ponytail, and the glasses she wore were a little lopsided. She was wearing a _Nirvana_ shirt that was at least three sizes too big, and from the position she was sitting in now, Keith couldn’t tell if she was wearing any pants. 

“Just fling ‘em around, they love it,” Lance said.

Keith’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head. _Just FLING THEM AROUND?!_

By now, Anto had started screaming, and like hell Keith was going to just toss him into the air, the way Lance had done to Ramira, so he just set the little guy down and tried not to panic when Anto stumbled a little, flopping onto the carpeted floor.

Keith flinched when Anto fell, but a second later, and he was sprinting around the house again. 

There was too much noise. 

There were too many people. 

This was going to be a _very long_ night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, so I know this is mostly just filler, so sorry about that - but Abuela is coming! Watch out for Chapter 25.


	25. Water Balloon War

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh it's been FOREVER since I worked on this story! So sorry for the wait, I hope this cute chapter makes up for it haha LOVE YOU ALL!

Lance was having a blast. He loved seeing his niece and nephew, and he couldn’t get enough of their cute little chubby faces. 

“You look so big, Rami!” He had commented a few minutes ago, while flinging the child onto his shoulders effortlessly. She had giggled and promptly slapped her hands over his eyes with a little too much force. Feigning shock and pain, Lance gasped dramatically, falling to his knees. “Ahhh - my eyes! What have you done?!”

Ramira giggled with satisfaction, then slid off her uncle’s back, plopping down onto the carpeted floor of the living room. 

Lance was just about to scoop her back up into a fireman’s carry when he saw the look on Keith’s face. 

His boyfriend looked extremely uncomfortable. 

“Hey,” Lance said softly, taking a step toward Keith, “You okay? You look a little . . . scared.”

Keith’s eyes widened. “That’s because I am!” He whispered harshly, “I’m fucking terrified.”

Lance chuckled, hoping his mama didn’t hear Keith’s colorful choice of words. She wasn’t shy when it came to scolding - even to strangers. 

“Okay, okay, we’ll go in my room, try to calm you down a little.”

Lance led the way down the hall and into his bedroom. Now that he had company (really attractive company), Lance was suddenly aware of every embarrassing item in his room - including three pairs of boxers lying carelessly on the floor. There was a sombrero, suit and sugar skull mask he had worn while cosplaying as Marco from the Blood Moon Ball episode of _Star vs the Forces of Evil_ (He had eventually convinced one of his high school buddies to dress up as Tom). There was a _Gravity Falls_ poster of Bill Cypher on one wall, and another poster of the four Diamond murals from _Steven Universe._ There were other childish fandom merch spewn about his room, but Lance thought it better not to mention all of them. 

“So sorry for the mess, uh . . . let me just . . . clean this up real quick-” Lance immediately snatched up his dirty boxers and other items of clothing on the floor, tossing them into a hamper in his closet. 

“I like your posters,” Keith said with a chuckle.

Lance rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I know. They’re embarrassing. You don’t have to remind me.”

“I think they’re cute,” Keith said, sounding like he actually meant it. He took a step toward his boyfriend, and Lance smiled, returning the gesture. “Your family is uh . . . a little crazy,” Keith breathed, his fingers grazing over Lance’s. 

Lance made a rather awkward attempt to hold Keith’s hand. When their fingers interlaced and Keith’s lips brushed over Lance’s chin, a slight shiver broke down his spine. 

“Uh . . . yeah,” Lance said, his eyes glued to his boyfriend’s lips. 

God they were so full and beautiful. 

Bringing his free hand up to cup Keith’s smooth cheek, Lance tilted his head and leaned in for a kiss. 

Right before their lips were about to touch, a shout rang out through the house. 

“LANCE!” 

The boy sighed, pulling away reluctantly. “WHAT MAMA?!” He shouted back, disappointed that he didn’t get to kiss Keith. 

“Your brother bought some water balloons yesterday! Why don’t you and Keith go fill them up so we can play with the family in the backyard?” 

Lance let out another sigh, this one long and full of exasperation. “ALRIGHT MAMA BE RIGHT THERE!” Then, before leaving his room, he planted a quick kiss on Keith’s cheek, then promptly hurried out into the hallway. 

There was a quiet string of profanities and incoherent mumbles from Keith’s mouth, and Lance smiled as he made his way into the backyard, his blushing boyfriend right behind him. 

“That wasn’t fair, Lance!” Keith whined, stepping out onto the patio. 

“Okay fine, then I guess I’ll never kiss you again,” Lance teased. 

“Wha- that’s not what I- ugh!”

Lance laughed goodnaturedly, plucking three boxes of water balloons off the patio railing and skipping down the steps down to the grass. They were the only two outside for the time being, but after dinner, that would change. The McClain’s had a rather harsh tradition this time of year. Every time the family would gather at their house for early spring to knock each other to the ground in a daring water balloon fight. It was always freezing, but afterwards, they would go inside and make hot chocolate for everyone to warm up. Water Balloon War was one of Lance’s favorite family traditions. 

Now, he’d be celebrating it with the man he loved. 

Smiling at Keith from across the yard, Lance asked, “Do you know how to tie a water balloon?”

Minutes later, Lance and Keith were situated on white lawn chairs, Lance holding the hose and filling up each balloon individually, and Keith to his right, tying them off and placing them gently in a cooler. Every once in awhile, Lance would fill up a balloon too much and it would pop, splattering the two of them with cold water. Other times, there was a hole in the bottom of the balloon, and he would purposefully aim the stream at his boyfriend just to hear Keith squeal like a girl. 

After about half an hour, they finally finished filling up the balloons, just in time for Neo and the others to come skipping outside to play. 

“Wait, so what’s the purpose of this game again?” Keith asked cautiously as Neo and Zoe came bounding down the stairs with mischievous grins plastered to their faces. 

“To pummel everyone to the ground!” Lance shouted, quickly grabbing a water balloon and hurling it towards Neo. 

The plastic casing shattered open when it came in contact with his brother’s chest, sending water flying across his T-shirt. “ACK- LANCE!”

Cackling, Lance grabbed three more water balloons before sprinting to the other side of the massive lawn, leaving Keith to fend for himself. 

Seconds later, Anto and Ramira were hurrying outside to join the fun. Meanwhile, Keith was standing in the middle of the battleground, eyes shifting this way and that. 

“Keith, c’mon! Grab a balloon!” Lance hollered in between laughs. 

Keith, taking his boyfriend’s advice, leaned over the cooler to grab a balloon. While he wasn’t looking, Lance took aim. 

Water splashed over Keith’s thigh, soaking his ripped jeans and causing the material to stick to his pale skin. 

“Ugh, LANCE WHAT THE HELL-?!” Keith shrieked, hurling a water balloon toward the taller boy. Lance easily dodged the projectile, laughing as Neo also tried - and failed - to hit him. 

Not long after, and the entire family was outside, including Lance’s mother, who was currently drenching her grandkids with water as they giggled and fled. Even Amalia’s friends were out having fun, especially Payton, who, at the moment, was chasing Amalia around with a water balloon in hand,  a smile on her face and a loving twinkle in her eyes. 

Lance felt himself grin, seeing his little sister giggle as her red haired friend chased her about the yard. 

When Payton threw the last water balloon and splashed it at Amalia’s feet, the two girls laughed and shrieked. 

Lance glanced around at everyone, taking note of how everyone was soaking wet. Well, everyone except him, that is. 

Lance was completely dry, save for the small specks of water from filling up the balloons in the first place. 

Lance grinned, holding both hands up in victory. “Bow down peasants, I’M THE WATER BALLOON CHAMPION! Whoo-hoo!” Lance pumped a fist up in celebration. “That’s what- five years in a row I haven’t even been scathed? Ha-” Lance boastfully checked his nails, as if this was the easiest thing in the world. 

A few feet away, Keith smiled. “Congrats, Lance,” He said, taking a step closer to his boyfriend. “I guess it’s time for me to reward you, then?” He asked, a suggestive smirk playing on his lips. 

Lance raised an eyebrow, feeling his cheeks grow a little warm. 

There was water dripping down Keith’s jaw, and his shirt was fitted tightly around his chest, revealing every curve of muscle and skin. Lance swallowed, noticing for the gazillionth time just how attractive Keith was. 

Lance nodded, smiling back. “You’re right. I think a reward is in place,” he agreed smoothly. 

Ignoring everyone else in the yard, Lance set his hands on Keith’s hips, feeling the cold, wet material of his boyfriend’s jeans on his fingertips. 

Keith smiled, leaning in to kiss Lance. 

Lance, still soaking in his victory, tilted his chin downward to kiss his boyfriend. He closed his eyes, allowing their mouths to press against each other. Then, two seconds into the kiss, Lance felt an ice cold shower of water pour down on his dry hair and clothes. 

Gasping, Lance flinched away, hearing Keith’s laughter flitter into his ears as water dripped down his back. Keith’s arms were still raised, the remains of the last hidden water balloon stuck to his hands as he laughed, joined by the other member’s of Lance’s family. 

“Okay, I admit,” Lance said, feeling the shivers break out on his back, “That was pretty great.”


End file.
